


To Market, To Market

by SylvieW



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: A/B/O, Alive Hale Family, Alpha Derek, Canon-Typical Violence, Dubious Consent, Forced Marriage, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Stiles, Panic Attacks, Slightly more well adjusted Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-31 12:47:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6470527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylvieW/pseuds/SylvieW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is kidnapped by the Argents, who try to mold him into the “Ideal Omega.” The only way to escape is to mate an alpha he’s never met. Is Derek Hale the solution, or will Stiles be exchanging one prison for another?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this verse, alphas have heightened abilities such as strength and hearing, betas are pretty much normal, and omegas have heightened healing and smell but not so much strength. Make sense? Probably not. Oh well. Anyway, people have packs and family and the two are virtually interchangeable. Flashy eyes are a thing, but very few other werewolf characteristics are present.  
> Enjoy.

Stiles watched the cashier pack up his groceries and tried not to wince when he noticed the eggs being placed at the bottom of a bag. Hopefully nothing too heavy would go on top of them. He didn’t want them half way to an omelette before he got home. He was about to direct the sullen cashier when the person behind him interrupted.

“Lotta food you got there.” The woman had dirty blonde hair, and looked to be in her thirties, pretty enough, but for the leering smile. By her scent, Stiles pegged her as a beta, which was a little surprising, since usually he was leered at by alphas. Being a creeper wasn’t exactly an exclusive trait, though.

“Yep,” Stiles replied, hoping his curt response would deter any further interaction. He turned back to the cashier and rolled his eyes. It was a grocery store, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t even have that much food, comparatively.

Unfortunately, the beta woman didn’t take the hint. “You cook, omega? For you and your mate?”

Stiles tried to keep from rolling his eyes again. He'd only just turned eighteen, and he hadn’t finished high school yet. He didn’t need a mate. He wasn’t opposed to having one, but he wasn’t in any rush. He hated when people assumed that the poor little omega had to have a keeper. He wanted to tell the lady off, but it was an election year and he was trying not to ruin his dad’s chances by pissing too many people off, so he said instead, “Yeah, I do, for my dad and myself.”

“Perfect,” she said. Stiles thought that was kind of a weird thing to say. Perfect for what? He quickly paid and grabbed his bags, giving the woman a curt nod, before he headed out to the parking lot.

He was just opening the door to the jeep when he was slammed hard into the side, then pushed onto the ground. Stiles tried not to inhale as something vile smelling pressed against his nose and mouth. The last thing he remembered was looking at his bags and thinking, _Well, the eggs are certainly cracked now_ , before everything went black. 

***

Stiles woke up in a room that resembled, more than anything, the dog kennels he’d seen on TV. The floor was concrete, and the walls were thick chain link fencing. He dragged himself off the thin mat and rattled the door, but it was firmly padlocked shut. At the base of the door was a narrow flap, but try as he might, it was too small to fit through more than a forearm.There was no one in the cages on either side of him but he could hear rustles and coughs around the room.

What happened at the store came back to him slowly, mind still groggy from whatever chemical had been used to knock him out. His head was pounding, and his body ached from hitting the car, then the ground. His mouth felt like dirty cotton coated his tongue. Unlike a dog’s kennel, there was no water in the cage. No food either, though the thought of eating made him even more nauseous, his stomach cramping to reject the very idea.

He curled in on himself in the corner, and swallowed convulsively, trying not to puke. He heard a door open, then the lights switched from a dim glow to shockingly bright. The buzz and flicker of the fluorescent lights combined with the headache made him even dizzier.

The sharp staccato of boots on concrete echoed through the cavernous room, bouncing off the walls and back to Stiles sensitive ears. He could hear the other people moving, but he wasn’t sure if it was in anticipation or avoidance.

The footsteps drew closer until they came to a stop outside his cage. The creepy blonde woman stood before him, the same leering grin in place. She posed with one hand on her hip, the other holding a black rod.

“There you are, sweetie,” she crooned. “I was so sad when you wouldn’t wake up to play.”

_Holy shit, I’ve been kidnapped by a crazy person_. “Why am I here?” he asked. “What do you want?” Maybe if he knew what she wanted, he could find out how to get away. He considered telling her that his father was the sheriff, but that could just as easily convince her to kill him as it could to let him go.

“You’re here to find a mate, of course,” she simpered, “Omegas shouldn’t be left all alone. You’re too fragile, sweetie.”

Stiles stomach roiled with dread and outrage, “Like hell. Omegas are more than capable of being on our own. We’re certainly more resilient than the average beta.”

The woman tsked. “Now, now, sweetie, you’ll never find a mate with that attitude. People want good little mates, ones who do as they’re told. It’s alright, you’ll learn soon enough.” She raised the black rod and it crackled and sparked as she ran it along the metal gate.

“I don’t need a mate, and I don’t want one. So thanks, but no thanks, just send me home,” Stiles protested. It wasn’t that he never wanted to be mated. There were aspects of being someone's omega that he found appealing, but only with the right alpha, on his own terms.

Kate grinned, “Nonsense, all omegas want a mate. It’s what you were made for.”

“Go to hell,” Stiles spat.

Kate’s grin changed into a hard sneer. “You had best mind me, sweetie, we wouldn’t want your stay with us to be unpleasant, now would we?”

“See, it kind of already is, considering you knocked me out in a parking lot and locked me in a cage. Not exactly the picture of hospitality and comfort. Let me out of here.”

“That wasn’t the right answer.” She turned on her heel and stalked away from his cage, steps echoing away until the metal clang of a door opened and shut.

Stiles dragged himself around the cage, looking for any sort of weakening he could escape through or something that could be used as a weapon, but he found nothing. He passed out again, listening for someone else to come and trying to figure out how the hell he would get home.

***

Stiles woke up to the sounds of clattering metal and voices throughout the room. His stomach hurt and he was still dizzy and nauseous. His mouth felt even drier.

He listened to the voices around him. They were laughing and chatting as if they weren’t in a room full of people chained up like dogs. From the squeak of flap hinges and the smell of food, he guessed it was meal time. He could hear a cart or wagon being pulled along, pausing periodically before continuing, getting ever closer to his cage. When it stopped in front of him, he looked up from his corner. 

The girl in front of his door had long brown hair and a fine bone structure. She frowned down at him, looking concerned. She took a metal cup and a tray off the cart and stepped toward the flap before someone called out, “Not that one, Allison.”

“Are you sure?” Allison’s frown deepened. “He looks like he needs it.”

“Kate’s orders,” came the reply. Allison looked Stiles up and down, then placed the items back on the cart.

“No, please. I’m so thirsty,” Stiles said, crawling up to the door.

Allison hesitated. “I…I can’t,” she said finally. She took hold of her cart and pushed it away, heading quickly out of sight.

“Fuck,” Stiles whispered. He wasn't sure when he’d last eaten. He was nauseous, sure, but he was also starving.

He sat with his forehead pressed against the metal of the door and listened as they finished handing out food to the other captives and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter it's is heavily implied that Kate beats Stiles with a cane, among other punishments. This is off screen, but I thought I should mention it as a heads up.

Kate came to see him again after he slept. A tall skinny man who Stiles hadn’t seen before followed her, holding a large bag. She tapped her taser against the door so he would back up, then unlocked it and entered the cage, latching it quickly behind her. She had a small metal tray and a stack of magnets with pictures of different foods printed on them. Stiles hadn’t seen anything like them since he was 10. He and the other omegas in his class used to be encouraged to play with them. It was supposed help familiarize them with different foods and what they could cook with them. He hadn’t really seen the point to them then, since he cooked with his mother all the time anyway. He really didn’t understand why Kate had brought it now. 

She moved the magnets around, then held the tray up for Stiles to see. She’d put milk, chicken, and corn in a row together, then added five other items underneath. “Okay, sweetie,” she said, in a gratingly patronizing tone. “Tell me all the things you could make with these things. You have to use these three, the other five are optional, okay?”

“Why?” Stiles asked. He squinted in confusion. Had he missed something? Why was she playing a kids game with him?

Kate pursed her lips in annoyance. “Because I asked you to.” Stiles stared at her. She sighed, tapping her finger on the board with irritation. “Good omegas know how to use what their alpha gives them. Your mate will want to know that you can make them a good dinner after a hard day's work. They’ll want someone who they know will feed their children a good nutritious lunch.”

Kate sounded like a walking brochure for the groups that thought an omega’s sole purpose was cooking, cleaning, and breeding. Stiles had seen more than enough comments on the internet, and every omega he knew had dealt with some asshole or another at some point in their lives. He’d never seen someone believe it so completely that they would kidnap someone and try to force them into the role.

Kate tapped her taser against the wall of the cage, the zap jolting Stiles even though it didn’t touch him. “Pay attention, sweetie. What could you make?”

Stiles looked at the board again. Multiple options immediately sprang to mind, but he didn’t offer them to Kate. He just shook his head and kept his mouth shut. 

She sighed again then, lowering the tray. She switched out some of the magnets, then held it up again. “Come on, now. Try again,” she coaxed.

Stiles shook his head without even looking at the options. This time, instead of hitting the wall she struck Stiles leg. A short bolt of white hot pain flashed through his body and he screamed at the sudden pain. The taser was gone almost as soon as quickly as it had appeared and Kate stood over him while he panted. “Up,” she said, briskly. “Answer the question.”

“Fuck you,” Stiles mumbled. He shouted again when Kate kicked his side. 

“Sweetie, there’s no need to make this difficult for yourself. Play a little game with me and I won’t have to punish you,” Kate cooed. Stiles cringed at her sickly sweet tone. “Are you going to be a good boy for me?”

Stiles curled into himself, and shook his head. He didn’t want to be the kind of omega she was trying to make him. It wasn’t about playing a silly game. It was about bending to her will.

Kate stepped back and Stiles briefly wondered if she would give up. She attached her taser to her belt and slid the metal tray and magnets through the flap at the bottom of the door. Her silent lackey came forward to take them and removed a long leather covered cane from his bag, sliding it through to Kate.

Stiles cringed. The punishment aspect of what Kate had said was becoming a very distinct possibility. 

***

He couldn’t tell how long he’d been there. He thought it might have been three days, but that would mean they only fed the others once a day. They might give them a lot of food at once, but he didn’t know, since he still hadn’t been allowed to eat.

Kate came to see him every day, taunting and cajoling, trying to convince him to do some task or answer a certain question. Stupid, silly things like how to fold laundry most effectively or the ratio of bleach to water for cleaning a bathroom. All the tasks reminded him of some twisted version of his omega studies class. He got good grades in that class, but he still refused to do what Kate asked. She inevitably became frustrated by his obstinance and lashed out with her taser, fists, or other blunt weapon. The bruises were making it challenging for him to lie down comfortably. 

If he'd been gone for three days, that meant his father knew he was missing, and would have the entire Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department looking for him. But Stiles knew the statistics, and the longer he was missing, the less chance there was that he would be found. Eventually other crimes would take priority, the hunt would be called off and his dad would have to keep searching without the full resources of the department.

He pulled himself from his thoughts when he heard the metal door clanging open and his captors enter to begin the feeding process. He crawled off his sleeping mat, and stayed on his knees, pressed against the door in anticipation for Allison’s arrival.

He closed his eyes waiting for the cart to get closer. Allison had been in charge of his area every time. She still hadn’t given him any food, as per Kate’s orders, but she hesitated whenever she passed.

He tried to look as pathetic as possible when he heard her get close. When she stopped in front of him, he caught her gaze and set aside his pride, “Please, Allison. I’m so thirsty. Please.”

She looked away quickly and moved past him. “No, come back,” he called, desperately, but she'd already moved to the end of the row. 

He curled up in a ball on the floor next to the door. He would have cried, but he didn’t want to risk further dehydration. “I want to go home,” he whispered, more to himself than to her. He stayed there long after they had left, and the lights over head shut off.

He was thinking about dragging himself to the sleeping pad when he heard the door open again. He got up quickly, moving into the corner in case it was Kate, but whoever it was didn’t have the same sure, gunshot loud steps that she did.

The soft footfalls came closer to him, until Allison appeared in front of his cage. She looked nervous and guilt ridden as she bent down and opened the flap. “I couldn’t get any food,” she whispered, pushing a cup through the opening.

Stiles scrambled forward to take it. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Don’t gulp it, or you’ll puke,” she warned, as he grabbed the cup. He had to force himself to take deep breaths between sips so he didn’t down the whole thing in one go. When the cup was empty he passed it back to her.

“Why am I here?” he asked.

Allison seemed a bit surprised. “So that you can get a mate.”

“I don’t want one. Not like this. I want to go home.” He slipped his fingers through the chain link.

She bit her lip, then said, lacking conviction, “Omegas are better off mated.”

Stiles snorted. “According to who? Kate?” Allison flinched. “I’d rather spend my life alone than be with someone who treats me like dirt, or like a possession. Wouldn’t you?” She didn’t respond so Stiles continued. “Please, my dad must be worried sick. I just want to go home.” 

“There’s nothing I can do,” she said, getting to her feet.

“Why are you with these people? How can you think this is okay?” Stiles pulled himself up on shaking legs.

“They’re my family,” she said, clutching the cup and quickly walking away from him.

*** 

The routine stayed the same. Wake up, refuse to obey anything Kate wanted him to do. Be punished. Listen to the other captives be given food and hope they’ll give him food. Most days, go hungry, every so often choke down the dry protein bar they gave him. Hope Allison will bring him more water. If she did, try to convince her that omegas weren’t pitiful creatures whose only hope of survival was to be obedient slaves to an alpha. Pass out. Rinse and repeat.

Stiles tried to keep track of how many days had passed, but it all started to blur together. He couldn’t remember if it was the last time or five sessions ago that Kate had kicked him in the stomach so many times he’d vomited blood and bile. He remembered vividly the session where she’d shown him a picture of his father and described in vivid detail how he would find Stiles’ body, broken and malnourished, if Stiles didn't give in. He’d replayed it in his mind so many times that he couldn’t remember if it had happened once or a dozen times, nor exactly when it had occurred.

He didn’t want his father to find him like that, but he also didn’t want to disappoint him by giving up and following Kate’s orders to be a good little omega. Despite his desire to disobey her, he was starting to think he would mate anyone they told him to if it meant he could just get away from Kate and the cage.

***

Stiles laid down after his most recent visit with Allison. He thought she was starting to see him as a person instead of just an omega, but she still remained loyal to her family. He willed himself to go to sleep but his stomach and back still hurt. It wasn’t until they both gave a distinct twinge that he realized why. “Fuck,” he whispered. His stomach didn’t just hurt because he hadn’t eaten, he had cramps. As in heat cramps, the ones he always got a before his heat.

He started to panic at the implications. He couldn’t be sure when the cramps had started because his stomach had hurt the whole time he’d been here. Same with the nausea, and fatigue. The chills could have been pre-heat symptoms too, or just the lack of heating in the cage.

His breathing grew shallow as he thought of his heat. It was hard enough to go through alone, but if he was held captive by Kate still, it would be excruciating. At best, he would have to suffer through it in his cage. At worst, they could force him to mate someone horrible and cruel while he was too delirious and touch starved to stop them.

_I need to get out of here,_ he thought, breath catching in his chest. He tried to get himself under control but the panic kept snowballing as he thought of all the things they could do to him while he was vulnerable. He blacked out when he thought about never seeing his dad again.


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles fidgeted on the bed, waiting for the meal distribution to begin. He’d been trying to form a plan since he'd woken up but there was little he could do on his own. When Kate had come to him, he’d stayed immobile on the ground, not responding to her orders and taunts, but also not actively resisting as he had before. She was still frustrated when she left, but she'd only shocked him rather than hitting him too.

The door opened and the sounds of voices and equipment bounced off the high ceiling and into the room. He pulled himself over to the door to wait for Allison.

When she came to his cage, she smiled. “You get to have water today,” she said, bringing over two full cups.

“Allison, I need to get out of here,” he pleaded.

Allison lost her smile. “I can’t, I…that’s not up to me.”

“No, you don’t understand. I need to leave. I need to get out of here now.” She pushed the cups through the flap and he ignored them. “Please, I’ll do anything, just get me out of here.”

Allison met his eyes, and bit her lip. “The only way you can get out is if you get a mate.”

Stiles winced. He was running out of time and what few options he had were quickly dwindling. “Okay, I…Okay. Can you find me one then? Can you find someone who won’t… Allison, I can’t stay here.” His eyes burned. Before he’d been taken to this place, he thought he’d find someone who loved him, a true partnership like his parents had. Now, he just hoped it was better to be alive with a mate he hardly knew and didn’t love, than dead with his father searching in vain, or worse, finding him broken and defiled. “Please, help me.”

“I can try but...You have to listen to what I tell you, okay? And you cannot tell anyone about what happened here. If I can talk to my father, then maybe we can look for a mate for you tomorrow.” Stiles wanted to press and tell her to look _now,_ but he didn’t want to push too far in case she changed her mind. He nodded instead. She looked hesitant, worrying her lip as she stared down at him, then her eyes narrowed and she murmured, more to herself. “I’ll talk to my father.” She stood up and stepped back to her cart.

“Thank you,” Stiles whispered. She barely nodded in acknowledgement before she pushed the cart away from him.

***

He didn’t have another visit from Allison before falling asleep, but he hoped that meant she was busy convincing her father, not that she'd thought better of helping him. He slept lightly, the pain in his stomach increasing until his captors turned on the buzzing overhead lights and started moving through the cavernous room.

He'd heard them do this a few times before, usually twice within the same period that he thought of as a day, but he couldn’t figure out exactly why. He thought he heard cages being opened and closed, but no one had come near him. He didn’t know if they were removing people, adding people or just cleaning out bodies.

He stayed where he was until Allison came to his cage, clearly even more agitated than she'd been before, a sturdy leather messenger bag across her shoulder. “Put your hands through the flap,” She instructed. Stiles swallowed thickly and obliged. She placed sturdy metal cuffs on his wrists, and snapped them closed, before attaching a short chain between them and a longer chain onto that. She secured the end of the long chain around her wrist and unlocked the cage. “Don’t try to run, or scream, just let me lead you and do as I say, alright?” Stiles nodded.

She led him out of the cage and down to the end of the row. They turned left to where other omegas were standing in similar chains, betas like Allison keeping them in place. Some of them carried tasers similar to the one Kate always had with her.

A burly man with a clipboard turned to Allison, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Are you sure about that one? I thought he was one of Kate’s projects.”

“It isn’t up to Kate,” Allison said, colder than he'd ever heard her.

The man looked perturbed and opened his mouth to protest when another man interrupted. “It’s been approved by Gerard. His obedience score is too low and he bruises too easily. Better to get rid of him now for whatever we can than waste resources keeping him around.” He looked Stiles up and down. Rather than deferring to the sharp blue gaze of the man, as “good little omegas” were supposed to do, he met it straight on. “He was a bad judgement call on Kate’s part, and she never should have acquired him in the first place. Take him out, Allison. Don’t leave him near the others, he isn’t like them, and I don’t want his attitude to rub off on them. He’s not what our clients are looking for.”

“I didn’t think Kate made mistakes,” the man muttered, but Allison and the other man ignored him.

“Okay, Dad.” She took him out the large metal door Stiles had been hearing open and close for the duration of his time there. They walked down a concrete corridor with no windows and buzzing fluorescent lights just like the cage room. She used a keycard on another heavy door and pulled him inside. This room was divided into stall-like cages, with hoses hooked outside them. Allison led him to the stall at the farthest end. “We need to get you clean. The cleaner you are, the better a mate you’ll get.” 

She led him into the cage and closed the door, leading the chain through a hole at waist level before locking him in. “Bring your wrists here,” she directed, pulling the key from her pocket. “You’ll have to take your clothes off. The water’s not very warm, but we should be quick anyway. I control the hose, but there's a soap dispenser there,” She unlocked the cuffs and pointed to the wall behind him. He hesitated a moment before striping off his clothes. This could be a trick to get him to fall into their weird mating plan but it was better than stuck in a cage or at Kate’s mercy.

He passed the dirty clothes he’d been left in for the duration of his stay out to Allison. She threw them into an industrial hamper in the corner and grabbed the hose to rinse him down. He blushed at his nudity while he scrubbed. She did her best to avert her eyes, but she couldn’t look away entirely because she had to work the hose.

“Why are we doing this?” he asked.

“Have you ever heard of the Market?” she responded.

Stiles nodded. “People go there to find mates, don’t they?”

“That’s right. Omegas get booths, they usually bring things that show off their skills and attributes. Food, DIY projects, recommendation letters, whatever. Alphas come and look around, and if they find an omega they like, they negotiate a mating. The alpha pays the omega’s family to show his appreciation and cover the cost of the omega entering the Market. The most coveted omegas get the highest amounts.” Allison explained.

Stiles already knew that part from school. Many of his classmates planned on going to the Market as soon as they graduated. “How does your family play into that? You’re all betas.”

“Omegas aren’t assertive.” He shot a glare over his shoulder at that. “Or most omegas aren’t. It's hard to attract attention when you don’t want to appear unruly. So, omegas frequently bring an alpha or beta with them to negotiate. A lot of people use a family member, but some people hire professional companies. That's what my family is.”

“Your family kidnaps people.” Stiles pointed out.

Allison sighed and shut off the hose, “You just don’t understand because you don’t have a mate yet. You’ll be grateful once you have someone to take care of you properly, the omegas always are. Many of them don’t realize how unhappy they were alone. Not all the people we negotiate for have been taken the way you were. Some people really do come to us and we help them. The appreciation price they gain is split between us and the families.”

“If you say so,” Stiles said. She passed him a towel and he applied himself to drying. “So, how did you convince your father?”

“Like he said, you're bad business.” Stiles snorted. “You aren’t responding to Kate very well, so you probably won’t fetch a good price. We persuaded my grandfather that we should cut our losses and get rid of you as soon as possible.” 

When he finished drying off, she handed him jeans, a plain shirt, and boxers. He put them on carefully, trying not to drag them on the wet floor. After he was dressed, the shackles were replaced and the door was opened. She let him dry his feet before handing him socks and shoes he recognized as his own. Then, they went back into the corridor and through a mess of hallways before they entered a garage filled with large black SUV’s. 

Allison ushered him into the back of one of them and slid in next to him. “He has to ride alone,” She told the driver, handing her a piece of paper from the messenger bag.

“What do you mean? No one ever rides alone,” the woman said studying the paper before putting it on the seat next to her with a shrug. She started the car and pulled out.

Allison turned to Stiles. “I’m going to have to blindfold you now.” Her eyes flicked to the woman in the front seat. He would have protested but he didn’t want the woman to know Allison was helping him.

He let Allison tie on the blindfold. They rode in silence, and Stiles tried to count to measure the distance but he lost track too many times. With his skewed sense of time he wasn’t sure how long they’d been travelling when they came to a stop.

Allison removed the blindfold and he blinked at the brightness. When his eyes recovered, he looked out the window at the large parking lot. Allison took his wrist and attached a small tight band that looked like a watch. She attached a similar one to her own wrist, then removed his cuffs.

“What is that?” He asked.

“If you try to run too far from me, it’ll shock you,” Allison told him. “Stay close and it won’t be an issue.” She tucked the chains under the seat and opened the door, then took Stiles’ arm and led him out. “Remember, you can’t tell anyone about what happened. As far as we're concerned, you're just another client who came to us for assistance presenting. No one will believe you anyway.”

Stiles shuddered, Kate had told him the same thing. No one would trust a stupid little hysterical omega.

They headed toward a large entrance and got in line at the registration desk. “You need to be registered beforehand, if you’re presenting.” Stiles said. He felt a surge of hope that maybe he could have the mating annulled if he could prove the registration was fake. It quickly diminished when he realized that wouldn’t help him with the heat situation. 

“Most of the registration is done online now. We got your information from your wallet. Right now, we're just checking in and confirming your booth.” 

Stiles heart sank. They were steadily moving forward. “Kate won’t be here, right?”

“She rarely comes to Market. She prefers acquisition.” Stiles hated how callously Allison referred to kidnapping people. “If she does, she’ll go to the family’s main booth. We have you separated so you don’t hurt the chances of our other omegas.”

After their turn at the table, Allison steered him through the crowd to a far corner. The arena was packed with people and tables. The booths varied in size, some of them big enough for multiple omegas or full-on cooking demonstrations, others no bigger than a card table. Omegas had decorated their booths in various ways, with posters, fabrics, pre-made food for tasting or finished projects laid out to be examined and assessed.

They found their booth and Allison pulled out a wide green cloth and handed it to Stiles. He arranged it as best he could on the small table while she pulled out a short stack of laminated cards.They had his full name printed at the top and numbers along the side.

“What are those?”

“Your score cards. It’s one of the easiest ways for alphas to check if you have the qualities they're looking for.” She directed him to sit down on one of the two chairs placed at the table and stood in front of the booth.

Alphas passed, alone or in groups, some of them ignoring him completely, others giving him a quick look over before continuing on. Allison was searching through the crowd from her place in front of him.

“So…now what?” He asked after a few minutes, his cramps were bothering him again and he was getting the chills, but he wasn’t sure if that was PHS or his body was just reacting to being in a different setting after being stuck in a cage for god knows how long. 

“We wait.” She rose up on her toes a moment before dropping back down.

“Are you looking for someone?” He asked, after another few minutes. He was trying to sit up straight but all he wanted was to curl up in a ball on the floor. Where was his heating pad when he needed it?

She frowned at him, then continued scanning the crowd. “There’s someone I have in mind. He’s...a good guy. His family is very well respected. I think he might be a good fit.” She flashed him a dimpled grin. “He and Kate don’t get along.”

“Common interest then, I guess.” Stiles tried to return the smile, but he wasn’t so sure he trusted Allison’s taste. As things stood, though, he didn’t really have much choice.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Derek, Cora and Peter finished signing in at registration, Derek promptly got himself lost in the crowd.

It wasn’t that he didn’t support his sister in her hunt for a mate. He wanted her to find someone, really, but after three hours stuck in a car with her and Peter, he needed to support her from a distance. He’d had more than enough of them extolling the virtues of the “Ideal Omega” and the benefits of finding a mate. He'd heard more than enough before they had even set out. It had been all his family could talk about for the past two days.

This happened every time the Market set up anywhere near their territory. Everyone got into a tizzy about the prospect of adding a new omega to the family. 

Derek gave up looking for a mate years ago. After Paige had hired the Argents to find her a mate, rather than mate him, he figured he just wasn’t the type of alpha anyone was looking for. And yet, as each member of his family came of age, he found himself dragged to the Market along with them.

He was grateful that since this was Cora’s second Market trip, his mother had agreed to let Peter supervise. He was both the best at contract negotiations and the only other unmated adult in the family, besides Derek. Derek suspected his mother was holding out hope that if forced to attend, Peter would find a mate himself. This implication did not bode well for Derek’s own future.

Peter was a royal pain in the ass, but he was generally agreeable to Derek wandering off on his own. Derek’s mother insisted they all stay together as a group, so he considered Peter to be the lesser of two evils in this case.

Derek moved up and down the aisles, stopping at any particularly interesting displays, taking note of omegas Cora might be interested in. He was approaching the back corner of the arena when he heard someone call his name. He looked up to see if his family had spotted him. Instead he saw Allison Argent waving at him. She beckoned him toward her. 

Derek detested the Argents as a whole, but Allison wasn’t too bad. They had had some interesting debates over the years about omega rights, and dynamic stereotypes. He liked to think that he'd broadened her worldview a bit, but that hadn’t stopped her from joining the family business.

He was surprised to see her on her own. Her family always kept their omegas together, and tended toward a certain clientele that Derek didn’t really relate to. When he’d almost reached her booth, she grabbed his arm to pull him closer. He scowled down at her grip. 

“Hey, how are you?” She asked, then continued without waiting for his response. “I want you to meet someone, I think you’ll really like him.”

Instead of the usual group of shy omegas, there was one boy sitting at her table. He was pale and skinny with short brown hair and honey brown eyes that shone over dark circles. He made eye contact with Derek, which was uncommon for an omega to do with an alpha they hadn’t met before, especially in a place like this.

“Someone for Cora?” He asked.

“No, for you.” Derek glared at her. “Just listen, okay? I think you’d be really good together. He doesn’t conform to dynamic norms the way other omegas do. He’s really smart, and you can see he’s passably attractive. He tested positive for the carrier gene, so you could have the cutest babies. And he’s really good at...Um.” She seemed to falter there. She turned to the omega and said, “Tell him something you're good at.”

The omega stared at her for a second, eyes wide. He looked back at Derek and visibly swallowed. “I...I’m good at cooking. I like it a lot.” The omega seemed unsure and ill at ease, so Derek nodded in what he hoped was an encouraging way. It must not have been too bad because the omega continued. “I’m good at research. Not just recipes and childcare blogs, but actual research. I get good grades in school. Except chemistry, but only because Harris is a dick.”

Allison cleared her throat. “There, see? He’s smart. I bet you’d like someone smart.” She was still holding Derek’s arm. If anything, her grip had tightened. Derek wondered what it was about this omega that made her so desperate to have him sold. 

He picked up one of the laminated cards the Argents favoured to display their omega’s information. He paused when he saw the name. “How do you even say that?”

“It’s…”Allison looked over his shoulder. “Oh god, what even is that?”

“It’s Polish,” the omega interjected, “but I just go by Stiles.”

“Hmph.” It was a weird name, but it suited him. Besides, who was he to judge? Half his family had names that rhymed. He continued reading the rest of the card. In most of the categories, Stiles’ scores were average or unknown. Derek snorted when he reached the last one. “You rated a 2 in obedience.”

“He can learn!” Allison said at the same time Stiles said, “I don’t take unreasonable orders well.”

Derek looked between the two. Outwardly, Stiles seemed pale and subdued, but his eyes held a fire Derek rarely came across. He studied Stiles for a moment before turning back to Allison. “I hadn’t really--”

“I know you weren’t planning on taking a mate, but this is…Derek, Stiles needs a mate. Now.” Derek tried to interject but she steamrolled over him. “If you don’t think you’ll find your perfect match anyway, then what's the harm in taking Stiles?

That one stung a bit. The prospect of living out the rest of his life alone held little appeal. Some people were perfectly happy that way and Derek had resigned himself to that fate, but he wanted someone to share his life with. He wanted a mate and kids and the white picket fence. He just didn’t think he’d ever get it.

“If you don’t take him, he’ll probably get sent back to Kate.” Allison said. Derek nearly growled. He saw Stiles stiffen and he had to focus hard on the floor to keep his eyes from flashing red.

He'd seen omegas who had spent time with Kate. They were like dolls, dressed up and moving when instructed, but ultimately lifeless. Like everything that made them bright and different had been snuffed out or ripped away.

The thought of Stiles’ light disappearing made him seethe. Derek looked at him one last time, then pulled out his phone. He dialed his uncle’s number, rather than try and find him in the sea of people. He stepped away from Allison and she watched him like a hawk as the phone rang. 

“Are you lost, nephew?” Peter answered.

“No, but I need you to come find me. I’m in the east corner. Booth 203,” he said, as he checked the number displayed above the table.

“What did you find there?” Peter drawled

“Just get over here.” Derek hung up without waiting for a response. They must have been close by because it didn’t take long for Cora to race up to him, Peter strolling behind.

“What’s up?” Cora prodded. 

“I know this trip was for you, but--” She waved a hand as if brushing Derek’s words aside.

“Doesn’t matter. Does that mean you found someone you want to mate?” She asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet, then she poked him in the ribs.

Derek rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how much money Mom authorized. If there isn’t enough for both of us--”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Derek,” Peter cut in. “With your mother’s line of credit, we could take home ten omegas if we were so inclined. Would you like to us to negotiate or not?”

Derek took a deep breathe. He was shocked at just how much he really would like it. He couldn’t remember ever responding to an omega as much as he did Stiles. He led Cora and Peter over to the booth. “You both remember Allison, and this is Stiles.”

“One of Argent's’?” Peter asked, raising one eyebrow. Derek nodded curtly. Stiles looked even paler than before, his shoulders hunched and his hands clenched in his lap. He looked a bit unfocused as he tried to meet their stares.

Allison beamed. “Stiles is an excellent choice.”

“How much are you asking for?” Peter picked up one of the score cards and skimmed its contents.

“Three hundred,” Allison said without hesitation.

Peter raised another eyebrow. “Three hundred. For an Argent omega.”

“Yes.”

Peter looked back at Derek, who shrugged. The price seemed low, but he wasn’t an expert in mating contracts. Peter set down the card and leaned against the table, levelling a hard stare at Allison. “You only want three hundred. For an omega supposedly worthy of the Hale family.”

“Yes,” Allison said again, reaching for the bag she’d placed under the table. “I have the papers right here. We can go straight to an officiant to process the contract.” She handed the papers to Peter.

Peter continued to stare at her. Derek started to wonder if Peter would refuse on principle when his uncle snapped the papers from Allison’s hand. He quickly read through them, pulling out a pen to make notes as he went. “Everything seems to be in order, we’ll hash out a few changes when we see the officiant. Cora, would you like to look around more?”

“Not today,” she replied.

“Are you sure?” Derek asked. “We haven’t been here long.”

“Plenty of other Markets, right? She’ll be fine,” Allison said. She hastily grabbed the cards and bundled up the tablecloth, then shoved it all in her bag. She pulled Stiles up by the wrist and he nearly fell over. “All set? Let’s go,” she said, then set off toward the officiants’ offices. 

Peter gestured for Cora to keep up with Allison while he held Derek back to walk at a slower pace.

“That was an absurdly low asking price,” Peter said, watching the trio navigate through the crowd.

“Then why didn’t you offer more?” Derek asked.

Peter tsked under his breath. “Because I’m not an idiot. I’m not giving the Argents any more money than I have to. I’m just saying, he seems to be a fairly attractive young omega with average scores and no obvious health defects, so it makes no sense for them to ask so low a price.”

“Allison seemed anxious to get him off her hands,” Derek admitted.

Peter hummed. “Interesting. She’s still very young. It's surprising that they had her out on her own. There’s a chance that her technique needs work, but she’s been coming to markets with her parents for years. You’ve seen his scorecard?”

Derek knew Peter was referring specifically to the low obedience score. “I want a mate, not a slave.”

Peter stopped and laid a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “If you're sure, then.” 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Derek said. He wasn’t sure if he was the best choice for Stiles, but he didn’t want anyone else to take him.

Peter nodded and they joined the others to wait for the officiant.


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles had a hard time focusing while the officiant went over their mating contract. He was trying not to hurl on the middle of the “office,” or sit on the floor and whimper. He knew he was in a cubicle with walls made out of blue curtains and PVC pipe. He knew his officiant was an older woman with greying hair and wrinkled hands. He knew his new mate’s name was Derek Hale, and the older man was his uncle Peter, and the girl with them was his sister Cora. He knew they were all Alphas.

He didn’t know what anyone had said regarding the contract. His input wasn’t really needed, other than the occasional “Yes,” and “I agree,” since Allison was acting as his advocate. 

He tried to breathe deeply while sucking on his tongue to keep the nausea at bay, trying to focus on that, rather than the stabbing pains in his abdomen. 

Allison handed him some papers and directed him to sign in an outrageous number of places, while Derek did the same with Peter. They handed them back to the officiant, who stamped them. Stiles had already tuned out again so he was surprised when Derek gently tilted his chin up and kissed him lightly.

It was a nice kiss. Firm and dry but not bruising. Stiles thought he might have enjoyed it if he didn’t feel like death reanimated. 

They left the officiant’s office, and this time Derek put a guiding hand on the small of his back, rather than Allison tugging him along. Allison removed the taser watch on their way to the door.

She bid them a cheerful but hasty goodbye, then Stiles grabbed her arm.

“Thank you,” Stiles croaked.

Allison frowned at him, sympathetically. “I’m sorry there wasn’t more I could do.” With a nod to the Hales, she stepped away and disappeared into the crowd.

Stiles could feel all the Hales staring at him. Normally, he’d rush to fill the silence with useless babble, but he felt too hazy to think of anything to say.

“Well,” Peter finally said. “Shall we head home?”

_Home_ , Stiles thought, desperately. That's what he needed.

“Mom will be so excited that you picked someone,” Cora said. “I can’t wait to see her face.” 

Right, the Hale home. His mate’s home. Because he was mated. Fuck.

Part of him wanted to protest, or maybe book it for the exit and not stop until he was back with his father. Now that he wasn’t with Allison, he might be able to get away without being tased. But there was a good chance he would just be returned to the Hales, written off as a hysterical virgin omega, worried about the mating bed. 

And even worse, there was the possibility that they would return him to the Argents. Right back into Kate’s claws. 

He suppressed a shudder and let the Hales lead him out of the arena. They walked through the massive parking lot and unlocked a new-looking four door sports car. When Derek opened the rear door for him, Stiles climbed in, and got his limbs out of the way quickly. It would be just his luck to do something stupid like get an arm caught in the door on his first day of being mated.

Derek slid into the seat next to him from the other side of the car, buckled his seatbelt then stared at Stiles.

They sat like that, just staring at each other for a beat until Derek cleared his throat and said, “I’ll just...get that for you.” He reached over Stiles, grabbed the seat belt and clicked it into place.

_Right,_ Stiles thought. _Safety first._

Peter and Cora bantered back and forth from the front as they left the parking lot. Derek only gave his input when called upon, and Stiles was grateful they didn’t try to engage him in conversation.

He wanted to be as far away from the Market and Kate’s family as possible. He was finding it hard to breathe, and he was so hungry he thought he might pass out if the pain in his stomach would just fuck off for two seconds.

“Stiles?”

“What?” He jerked his head up to look at Derek. His mate. Right.

“Are you alright?” Derek looked a bit like he was pissed off, but the hand he put on Stiles’ arm was gentle.

“I...” Where to start. “Um, not really?” He felt like he was trying to suck air through a coffee stir stick.

“Is there anything I can do?” Derek asked. “Are you thirsty?”

“Yes, very.” Stiles nodded, probably more times than was strictly necessary, by the odd look Derek was giving him.

“Cora, can I have the cooler?” Cora passed Derek a large red lunch bag. He unzipped it and offered Stiles a bottle of water. “We have some juice boxes if you’d prefer.”

“This is fine,” Stiles said, fumbling with the cap. Derek reached over and cracked the seal for him. Stiles tried to shoot him a grateful smile, but it felt more like a grimace. He gulped most of the bottle down, but he remembered Allison’s warning about drinking too fast. He switched to sipping it slowly, taking deep breaths often, like he’d done before.

“You’d think with the amount of snacks Dad packed we were driving across the state, but it's only a two hour drive,” Cora called from the front.

Stile nearly spilled the water down his shirt. “You have food?”

“Yeah. Do you want a sandwich or something?” Derek asked. Stiles nodded again, he didn’t want to open his mouth in case he started to beg. “We have peanut butter or ham.”

“Either is fine. Anything, please.” said Stiles. _So much for not begging_ , he thought.

Derek handed him two sandwiches, one of each kind. Stiles demolished them quickly, followed by two oatmeal cookies. “When’s the last time you ate?” Derek asked him.

Stiles swallowed quickly. “I’m not sure.”

“You don’t...remember?” Derek frowned. 

“Not really. Maybe three days? Could be more, I guess.” Stiles polished off his cookie. Now that his hunger was taken care of, the cramps were clamouring for attention. His knees felt weak even though he was sitting down.

“What?” Derek asked, his voice rising suddenly in volume. The car slowed quickly and pulled over. Peter put it into park on the shoulder, and turned to look at Stiles.

“Why are we stopping?” Stiles didn’t want to stop. He wanted to get far, far away.

“Why haven’t you eaten in three days?” Derek growled.

“Because they wouldn’t give me any food.” He wondered if Peter would be upset if he put his feet on the leather seat to curl into the fetal position. “Can we keep driving now?”

“Who wouldn’t feed you? The Argents?” Peter asked, making no move to get the car back on the road.

“Is that what they’re called? Allison’s family? They fed the others once a day, I think, but Kate told them not to give me anything, because I wasn’t being good. There were protein bars sometimes, so I didn’t starve, but I don’t remember when I last had one. Exactly.”

“What others?” Peter pressed.

“The people in the other cages!” He burst out. “Why aren’t you driving? Please, just get me away from them.”

The Hales were completely silent, blinking at him with matching stunned expressions. 

“I’m not making sense, am I? Shit.” Stiles decided he didn’t care if Peter objected to shoes on his seats and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. Allison had told him not to tell anyone, and that they wouldn’t believe him, but Allison wasn’t here and they couldn’t think he was more crazy than they already did.

“I was at the grocery store and this creepy lady started talking to me. I didn’t really think much of it until I got drugged in the parking lot. I woke up in a cage. The lady, Kate, said that she was going to find me a mate. I didn’t do what she wanted, so she punished me.” Stiles stuttered out the story as best he could.

“Oh my god,” whispered Cora.

“It’s okay, keep going,” Derek said.

“I didn’t want to listen to her, but I was so fucking hungry, and my pre-heat cramps hurt like a bitch, so I convinced Allison to help me. She brought me to the Market and sold me to you.” Tears burned at the backs of his eyes when he remembered how much control Derek had over his life. “My dad must be so worried. Do you think I could see him? I’ll try and be good for you, I promise, I just want him to know I’m okay.” Stiles lowered his head onto his folded arms.

“Well, fuck me sideways,” said Peter.

Cora responded with, “Holy shit, Mom is gonna flip.

“You have pre-heat cramps?” Derek asked, his tone laced with concern. Stiles nodded, but his head was too heavy to lift. “Do you know how long you have until it hits?”

“I don’t know when they started, so I have no way to gauge how close it is. I haven’t had my suppressants since I was taken, so it hurts even more than it usually does. ” Stiles mumbled into his arms. “Please, can we get away from that place now?”

This time, Peter obliged, guiding the car onto the road and quickly bringing it up to speed. “Cora, call your mother and tell her what’s happened. Stiles, do you know how we can contact your father?”

“Call the Beacon HIll’s Sheriff's Department. Ask for Sheriff Stilinski. Can you tell him I’m okay?” Stiles looked up to make sure they heard him. Peter was going much faster than he had been before and Cora already had the phone to her ear.

“Your father is the Sheriff of Beacon Hills?” Derek asked. Stiles nodded. “We live in St. Christopher Preserve, that's only a county over.”

Stiles mustered a tired smile. Maybe, since they were close by, Derek would let him visit his dad often. Derek reached over and awkwardly patted his arm. He almost expected Derek to say “there, there” along with it, but instead Derek asked, “Can I do anything to help?”

Stiles’ omega instincts were thrilled that someone would want to take care of him. “I’ve read that skin contact with an alpha can help lessen the pre-heat symptoms. Maybe you could...hold my hand or something?”

Derek nodded and laced their fingers together over Stiles’ knee. Stiles rested his head on their hands and focused on the coolness of Derek’s skin, drifting off while the Hales talked around him.

***

“Mom wants to talk to you,” Cora said, handing her phone back to Derek. He put it to his ear and greeted her.

“Derek...Oh sweetheart, where do I start?” Talia sighed.

‘Sorry, Mom.” Derek hated to cause her any distress.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for.” Talia sounded coldly furious. “This is the Argents’ doing. I knew there was something off about the omegas they were presenting, but I never imagined they were kidnapping people.” 

“I didn’t know he was being coerced. I would never force someone to be mated with me.” Derek looked over at where Stiles was curled up against the car door, clinging to Derek’s hand.

“Of course you wouldn’t. Thank god he mated you and not some old fashioned boar. It’s not the best way to start off a pairing, but I’m sure you’ll be able to work it out.”

“What do you mean? If we know Stiles agreed to the contract under duress, can’t the mating be dissolved?” Derek cringed inwardly at the thought of losing Stiles as quickly as he’d found him but he didn’t want to force him into a mating he didn’t want.

His mother didn’t respond right away, which worried Derek immediately. “Usually, yes,” she finally said. “But Cora said Stiles is going into heat soon?”

“Yes, but we're not sure exactly when,” Derek agreed.

“If he hasn’t been taking his suppressants, then he’ll need to have an alpha with him or his heat will be excruciating. Finding someone else on such short notice would be challenging to say the least, and Stiles’ instincts might reject them even if someone could be found. I’m sorry Derek, but...you are technically his alpha now.”

“It’s fine,” Derek said. He didn’t want another alpha anywhere near Stiles. “I just...I thought we’d have some time to get to know each other. I don’t…I don’t want to force myself on him.” 

Talia hummed in consideration and concern. “I suppose if need be, he can be taken to the hospital for sedation. There have been unmated omegas that get put to sleep through their heats, but the side effects can be unpleasant.”

“I don’t know,” Derek said. He wanted Stiles to have the choice, but he didn’t want him to suffer any more trauma than he already had.

“If you decide he should be sedated, have Peter bring you straight to the hospital. We can meet you there. Otherwise, we'll see you soon. I have to try and contact the Sheriff now. Give the phone back to Cora. I love you, sweetheart.”

Derek repeated the sentiment and handed the phone up to his sister. He looked over at Stiles again, studying his pale skin and slender frame. “Stiles, can you listen for a second?”

“Hmm?” Stiles lifted his head and blinked at him owlishly.

“Do you want me to spend your heat with you?” He asked.

“What else would I do?” Stiles was clearly confused.

“If you don’t want to spend it with me, we can take you to a hospital to be put to sleep.” Derek explained. He wasn’t sure if Stiles was in the frame of mind to make these decisions, but he needed to ask anyway.

Stiles winced and tightened his grip on Derek’s hand. “Heat sedations are painful, and the side effects suck. You're my alpha, aren’t you? Unless you don’t want to spend my heat with me…” Stiles voice grew small and uncertain.

“No, I just wanted you to have the choice,” Derek rushed to reassure him. 

Stiles smiled a little. “Thanks for that.” He dropped his head back down onto his knees, and ran his thumb rhythmically over the back of Derek’s hand. Derek watched over him the whole journey home.


	6. Chapter 6

Stiles thought he may have fallen asleep, because the next thing he remembered, the car door was opening, and he tipped over in surprise. He was caught by his seat belt and a firm hand. He looked up to see who the hand was attached to and saw Derek frowning at him again.

“We’re home.” Derek started to reach across him, but Stiles remembered the seat belt this time, and unbuckled it before Derek could. Derek took his hand instead and helped him from the car. 

Stiles looked around them, noting that they were parked next to a few different cars, in front of a large house surrounded by a forest. “Would this be _the_ preserve of St. Christopher Preserve?”

Derek nodded and led him toward the front porch. “A lot of the forest is private property. It's been in our pack for generations.” As they were walking toward it, the front door opened and a man and two women stepped out.

The first woman stepped off the porch and called, “What the heck did you get into this time, Derek?”

Derek rolled his eyes. “This charming individual is my older sister Laura.”

“Laura, if you can’t behave, you can go out and run with the rest of the family. You're here to be supportive, not tease your brother,” The older woman said. The man laid a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t see why I can’t do both,” Laura said with a jaunty grin.

Derek guided him closer to the older woman. She shared the same sharp cheekbones and dark hair as Derek and Cora, as did Laura. Stiles assumed due to the resemblance that she was Derek’s mother, which turned out to be correct. 

“Mom, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is my mother, Talia Hale, and my father Eric.”

Talia nodded but didn’t reach out to shake his hand. Her face was drawn in the same severe expression that Derek had had for most of their acquaintance. “As the alpha of the Hale pack, I want to welcome you to our home, and assure you that we will do everything in our power to see that you are cared for.” Her voice had a layer of steel, and the words sounded like a vow of the highest order, rather than a friendly overture. She flashed red eyes at him and he felt his own flare yellow in response before he lowered his gaze.

“Thank you.” Stiles didn’t know what else to say. He just wanted to lie down.

Derek pressed a hand to the nape of his neck. It felt reassuring, like he had his alpha’s approval. 

“Are you hungry still, Stiles?” Eric asked. “I have some soup on the stove.”

“Soup would be nice,” Stiles said. Eric placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and helped him into the house. Derek trailed after them while Talia veered off into the living room to speak with Peter.

Eric gestured to the breakfast nook. “Take a seat, you must be exhausted.” He took two bowls out of the cupboard and went to dish up the soup at the stove.

Stiles sat on the nearest bench seat and Derek slid in across from him. Eric brought over the bowls, along with a plate of thinly sliced buttered bread, and spoons, then sat down next to Stiles.

“Stiles, is it alright if I touch you? You’ve been through a lot and we need your body to calm down and recognize that it’s no longer in danger.” Stiles nodded. He could smell that Eric was also an omega. Most omegas tended toward calming and nurturing, and their touch could do wonders for calming people down. In Stiles’ opinion, they gave pretty great hugs, and he could certainly use one right about now. Eric put an arm across Stiles’ shoulders, gently pressing their sides together, lightly enough that Stiles could still eat his soup without it being awkward. 

“I’m sorry for inconveniencing your family this way,” Stiles said. He couldn’t bring himself to look at either Hale, and the choking noise Derek made wasn’t exactly reassuring.

“Stiles, you were kidnapped. ‘Inconvenient’ is not exactly the word that comes to mind.” Eric gently rubbed Stiles arm. “You’re holding together remarkably well for what you’ve been through. Talia is very outspoken regarding the rights of all dynamic groups. You had better believe if she knew what was happening, she’d have brought down the Argents ages ago.”

Stiles relaxed under the praise and light touch. If Talia wasn’t cowed by the Argents, she and his dad would see to it they were stopped.

The doorbell rang and Eric excused himself. Stiles listened as the door was opened, and someone walked into the kitchen. When the Sheriff entered, Stiles jumped up from his seat, tripped over his feet, and went straight into his father's open arms. “Dad!”

The Sheriff wrapped him in a bearhug, holding on hard enough to hurt but Stiles didn’t want him to let go. He burrowed in and took a deep breath of his father’s familiar scent, soothed by the tones of cinnamon gum, whiskey and aftershave. 

“Stiles, kiddo, I thought I’d lost you for good,” the Sheriff said.

“No way, Dad. I wouldn’t let that happen.” Stiles looked up. His dad had dark circles, and a few days worth of stubble, clearly worse for wear after the strain of Stiles’ absence. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get out on my own.”

“Hey, none of that.” He gave Stiles’ shoulder a little shake. “You’re here now, and you're safe, and that’s what matters, alright?” 

“How long was I gone?”

The Sheriff frowned a moment. “About two and a half months, Stiles. You didn’t know?”

Stiles shrugged. “It was a little hard to keep track.”

The Sheriff hugged him close again.“I brought you something.” He bent down and grabbed a plastic bag from their feet, and pulled out a lumpy cloth pillow.

“My beans!” Stiles exclaimed.

“Your what?” Derek said behind him.

Stiles turned and brandished the pillow. “Beans. It's actually wheat, but it's like a bag of magic beans. You put it in the microwave, it gets hot and you put it on whatever hurts. I mostly use it for my cramps.

The corner of Derek’s mouth twitched. “Do you want it heated?”

“Please.” Stiles nodded and passed the bag over. “Two and a half minutes would be perfect.”

The Sheriff cleared his throat behind him. 

“Oh right. Derek this is my dad, Sheriff Stilinski. Dad, this is Derek, my...my mate, actually.” Stiles twisted his fingers. This was not how he’d imagined introducing his mate to his father.

“Pleased to meet you, sir.” Derek offered his hand to the Sheriff.

“Thank you for helping my boy,” the Sheriff said as they shook. 

“I didn’t, really.” The tips of Derek’s ears were turning red.

Deputy Parrish leaned into the doorway of the kitchen. “Sheriff, I don’t mean to rush you, but is it possible for us to ask Stiles some questions now?” He asked. Behind him, Stiles could see Talia and Eric, as well as Deputy Graeme.

The Sheriff motioned them into the room, then sat down with Stiles while the deputies took the bench across from them. Mr. and Mrs. Hale sat on the stools at the kitchen island and Derek headed to the microwave with the bean bag.

“Stiles, do you think you could take us through what happened? Anything you can tell us would be helpful,” Deputy Graeme asked. Tara had been with the department for years. It felt odd to be questioned as a victim by someone who had helped him with his homework, but he was more comfortable with her than many of the other deputies.

Stiles told them everything he could remember, in as much detail as possible, trying to focus past the pain and dizziness he still felt. The deputies asked questions and clarified when needed, taking notes as they went. By the time they were finished, Stiles had polished off a second bowl of soup and the rest of the bread, and Derek had reheated his bean bag three times. The hot bag was helping, but he still felt shaky and hollow. Recalling what had happened made him feel useless and tired.

“Why has no one ever come forward before?” Talia asked.

“According to Allison, not all of the omegas they work with were kidnapped. Some of them come on their own. Those who were taken, like me, if they don’t do as they’re told, Kate works with them until they’re obedient enough to do anything she tells them. I don’t think she wanted me to be sold yet, but Allison felt sorry enough for me to take me to the Market without her permission.” Stiles shrugged. “Both Allison and Kate told me that even if I did tell someone, they wouldn’t believe me.”

“We’ll look into that, too. If you remember anything else, please don’t hesitate to call.” Deputy Parrish left his number with Stiles and with the Hales. “Would it be possible for us to ask Derek and Peter some questions before we go?”

“Of course,” Talia said. “Derek, Peter is still in the living room, why don’t you take the deputies there?” Derek nodded and led the way. The deputies said their farewells quickly, and exited the kitchen.

“We still need to work out the details regarding their mating,” The Sheriff said, rubbing his eyes.

“I think it would be best for everyone if we left the less pressing details for another time,” said Talia. “We have a heat room ready upstairs for right now. Once Stiles’ heat is over, we can look over their contract to see if any changes need to be made.”

Stiles felt himself blush. It was embarrassing enough to have to go through his heat in a stranger's house. Everyone knowing about it was even worse.

“Stiles, do you need me to stay in the house?” His dad asked.

Stiles shook his head. “To be honest, Dad, I’d rather you were out there, kicking Argent ass with the power of the law.”

His father chuckled. “Will do, kiddo. I’ll come back in a couple days so we can negotiate properly with the Hales.” When Derek came back in, his dad gave Stiles one more hug, bid the Hales goodbye, and Talia walked him to the door. 

Eric got up from his own seat, opened the fridge and retrieved a large cooler. He handed it to Derek and asked, “You remember where everything is?” Derek hummed affirmatively, slinging the cooler onto his shoulder. “Well then, Stiles, you look like you could use some sleep. Best rest up while you can.”

Stiles blushed again. He murmured goodnight to Eric and followed Derek out of the kitchen and up two flights of stairs. At the top, there was a locked, reinforced door, of the type commonly used for heat rooms. Derek punched in a code and pushed it open, gesturing Stiles to go in ahead of him.

The room was bigger than the one Stiles had at home, with a pitched ceiling and blue walls. A large bed was placed in the center of the wall. On one side of it there was a nightstand with drawers, on the other was a mini fridge, and a basket of snacks.

Derek went straight for the fridge and started transferring food into it from the cooler. “There’s a bathroom through there if you want to use it. There’s towels in the cupboard next to the sink.” Stiles slipped in gratefully. It was a cozy space, but it managed to fit a showerbath combo, toilet and sink without the user risking knocking their elbows every time they turned around. Stiles still ended up hitting his elbow, but that was due to his own clumsiness, not the size of the bathroom. 

He used the toilet and showered quickly, scrubbing as thoroughly as he could to get rid of the smell of large groups of people and the Argents’ soap. When he was finished, he wrapped himself in towels, one around his waist and another over his shoulders, and went back into the main room. Derek had finished with the fridge and switched his jeans out for a pair of loose sweatpants. He was in the process of changing shirts, his back to Stiles.

Stiles watched as Derek’s back muscles shifted with his movements. Wow, his mate was fit. Stiles sat on the bed. He considered staying wrapped in his towel so Derek wouldn’t see how scrawny he was, but decided that Derek would see him soon enough anyway.

“Do you mind if I sleep with my shirt off? My skin is starting to get over-sensitive.” He fingered the hem of the towel. He’d always had sensitive skin, thanks to his mom’s genes, but when his heat was approaching, it was even more easily irritated.

“That’s fine. There are some softer sleep pants in that drawer if you want them or...not.” Derek avoided looking at Stiles, focusing on folding his clothes then tossing them into a hamper in the corner.

Stiles opened the drawer and pulled out a pair of blue pants. They felt soft enough not to bother his skin, at least for now. He set them on top of the dresser, closed the drawer, and dropped the towel from his shoulders.

“Fuck.” 

Stiles turned around, startled, and Derek was staring at him, looking furious. Stiles winced. “Sorry, I’m kinda skinny on a good day. I’ve probably lost at least ten pounds the last--”

“No, I--You have bruises all over your back.” Derek walked around the bed and reached out like he was going to touch him before pulling his hand back.

“Oh right. Those. Like I told the deputies, Kate wasn’t big on my attitude.” Stiles gave a one shouldered shrug. “The lack of food made it harder to heal. They’ll probably look better by tomorrow.”

Derek’s eyes flashed and he clenched his fists convulsively. “She did this to you?” Stiles nodded hesitantly. He didn’t want to upset Derek anymore. He watched as his alpha took deep breaths, flexed his claws then picked up his cell phone from the bedside table. “We should probably take pictures before they fade. Evidence.”

Stiles nodded, then held himself still while Derek snapped pictures at various angles. When they finished with his back, he lowered his towel, trying to cover himself strategically while Derek took some more of his thighs and stomach. Kate had been careful to keep her marks where they would be hidden by clothing. Stiles didn’t want his dad to see the pictures, so Derek sent them to Talia to pass along to the police. 

With the pictures taken care of, Derek put his phone back on the nightstand and went into the bathroom. Stiles pulled on the sleep pants and climbed into the bed, on the opposite side of where Derek had left his phone.

He was tired and achy and he hadn’t shared a bed with someone since he was a child on sleepovers. He had no idea what he would have said to Derek when he came back, but exhaustion caught up with him, and he was asleep before Derek returned.


	7. Chapter 7

Stiles woke before dawn, feeling empty and on fire. He could feel slick running down his thighs and he whined in discomfort. He pressed his face harder into the pillow as his hips moved involuntarily, trying to get some friction on his throbbing cock against the mattress, while pushing his aching ass up, in hopes that something would fill the emptiness.

He whimpered into his pillow, confused and dazed as heat rolled through his body. He needed someone to touch him, hold him, fill him up so good, so he wasn't so fucking hollow. Where was his alpha? Wasn’t he nearby? Yes, Derek was here, Derek would help if he could just...he lifted his face away from the pillow and gasped, “Derek?”

“Stiles?” Came the sleepy reply. Stiles could only bring himself to whine an incoherent plea, but it woke Derek up enough to get with the program. “Stiles, baby, I’m here. Let me help you.”

Derek reached over and ran a broad hand down Stiles’ spine, and he shivered at the cool touch on his fevered skin. Derek pulled off his sleep shirt, then laid a kiss on the back of Stiles’ neck, pressing his bare skin against Stiles anywhere he could.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ll take care of you. You’re doing so good. Just let me get these off you, okay?” Derek worked down Stiles’ sleep pants and pulled them off, and Stiles felt his instincts hum with pleasure from Derek’s promises and praise. Having him close was making it easier to think past the burn of need. “Do you like it like this, baby?” Derek murmured softly. “On your stomach?”

“I don’t know,” Stiles said. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Heat sex?”

“Any sex,” Stiles panted. The hand that Derek had been running up and down his side stopped abruptly, and he went completely still. Stiles’ panting became whimpering. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t want to upset his alpha. 

After a moment of charged silence, Derek started to move his hand again and Stiles let out a sob of relief. “It's okay, honey, I...I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’ll try and make it so good for you, I promise.” He started trailing a line of kisses from Stiles’ shoulder up to his neck, lingering more with each inch.

Stiles shivered and tried to push back against Derek so they were even closer together. “Please, Derek, please, I need you.”

“I know, you’ll have me. Just let me stretch you out a bit first, okay? You’re doing so well for me, hold on a little longer and I’ll fill you up.” Derek continued to whisper praise and encouragement while he shifted his weight so he could bring his free hand to Stiles’ ass and run a finger around Stiles’ hole. Stiles felt like he was already gaping open and ready to take all of his alpha but Derek slid just one gentle finger inside and circled it before slowly adding a second.

Stiles tried to push himself back on Derek’s fingers, while moaning, “more, more, more.” Deep in his mind, he thought maybe he should be ashamed of begging, but at the moment, it was too hard to focus on anything besides the burning need to get his alpha inside of him.

Derek added a third finger and curled them, brushing against Stiles prostate. Pleasure shot up his spine in response. The tip of a fourth finger felt like a stretch, and had Stiles gasping into the pillow as Derek worked his fingers around his rim. “Are you ready for me, baby? You feel so good. You’re so tight, Stiles, gonna stretch you open with my cock. Is that want you want?”

Stiles shivered again when Derek pulled away, feeling bereft and cold without his alpha at his back. He sobbed when Derek removed his fingers, but Derek quickly shed his sweat pants, and covered Stiles’ back with his body again, lining himself up with Stiles’ entrance.

He nudged Stiles’ legs farther apart and slowly pushing his hips forward, sliding his cock into Stiles’ slick hole. He went painstakingly slowly, giving Stiles’ clenched muscles time to adjust and relax.

“Can you breathe for me, Stiles?” Derek’s voice rasped in his ear. Stiles tried to take deep breaths in time with the hand stroking along his side. “That’s right, just relax. I’ve got you, see? Gonna take such good care of you. Give you my cock and my come and my pups. Would you like that, baby? Keep you so full of me, watch you get big and swollen. You’re doing so good for me.”

Stiles felt like it took a century for Derek to bury his whole length in him. He could barely think from the press of foreign flesh and ghost of Derek’s breath on his neck. He squirmed against Derek, grinding his hips back before begging, “Yes, Derek, please. I want it so bad. Move, please, move.”

Derek rocked his hips and Stiles felt his flesh sing at the sweet friction. He cried out when Derek pushed into him a little harder, again, and again, building a rhythm, until one thrust bled into another. Stiles fell into the rhythm and moved his hips back to meet them.

Derek shortened his thrusts as his knot started to swell and tug against Stiles’ rim, then he wrapped a hand around Stiles’ cock, moving it in counterpoint to their hips.

Once Derek’s knot was too full for anything but the smallest movement, he growled, “Mine,” before sinking his teeth into the meat of Stiles’ shoulder. It was enough to push Stiles over the edge, his come shooting over Derek’s hand as his vision went white.

Stiles slowly became aware that Derek had shifted them so they were lying on their sides, and that Derek was still buried deep inside him, come pulsing into him. Stiles no longer felt so frantic, but he was exhausted.

Derek shifted and pressed a kiss to Stiles’ cheek. “You should try and rest if you can. Build up your strength.” Stiles sighed in gratitude and burrowed into the pillow of Derek’s arm before drifting off with his alpha guarding him. 

***

Stiles settled into Derek’s lap, letting himself be maneuvered into a comfortable position. It was only their second knotting, so he still felt foggy. However, he wasn’t exhausted this time. He felt full and relaxed, but not tired. In fact, if he were honest, Stiles was bored. 

Stiles wasn’t good at still and silent. He was better at moving, talking, doing. Not sitting here waiting.

He squirmed a little and could feel Derek’s knot catch his rim. Derek gave a soft moan behind him, and gripped Stiles’ hips tighter. _Oops_ , Stiles thought. He tried to keep himself still again.

He managed it for a minute before he started wiggling his toes. That progressed to his feet, and soon his fingers were joining the party. He didn’t notice his knee start to move until Derek said, “Fuck,” breathlessly.

Stiles froze all his errant limbs. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Derek sighed. “I meant to grab a book earlier, but I fell asleep again.”

Stiles perked up. “You brought a book?”

“There’s a few on that shelf. I wasn’t sure what kind you like but I thought we could read one together,” Derek said. “Do you like to read?”

Stiles nodded. They talked about some of their favourites, what genres they liked, and the books they hated. Both of them had pretty wide tastes, so there was plenty of overlap. Stiles was lamenting the damaging nature of _Fifty Shades of Grey_ when Derek’s knot finally went down enough to slip out. 

Stiles scrambled off Derek’s lap and down to the end of the bed. Derek quirked an eyebrow at him from his seat against the headboard. Stiles blushed a bit, and stretched, hoping he could play it off as being tired of that position, rather than the attempt to put some distance between him and Derek that it actually was. 

Derek frowned. “Are you feeling stiff already?”

It hadn’t occurred to him that Derek would be concerned about that. “Um, not yet, I just…”

Derek hummed and climbed off the bed. “We should take some preventative measures. Do you like bananas?” Stiles nodded and Derek opened the mini-fridge and pulled two off the bunch, then tossed a bottle of water onto the bed. He riffled through the snack supply as well, selecting a jar of peanut butter and some cookies.  
Stiles tried to avert his eyes a bit, but he found the sight of Derek’s body captivating. Derek moved like he was completely at ease with his nudity, while Stiles felt compelled to wrap himself in a sheet. He wasn’t a prude or anything, and he knew there was no point in trying to keep clothes on during a heat, but he couldn’t help feeling vulnerable.

His skin was already starting to itch with the next wave. Derek grabbed a spoon and two books to add to his bounty, then returned to the bed, sitting down next to Stiles and pressing their sides together. Stiles leaned into him, hoping the contact would buy him a few more minutes of lucidity.

Derek peeled one of the bananas and broke off a piece, offering it to Stiles. He took it quickly, his instincts humming with pleasure to have his alpha provide for him. Derek divided the meal between them, brushing away crumbs when they were finished. When the last of the cookies were gone and the lid returned to the peanut butter, Derek laid Stiles out on the bed. 

Stiles let the fog take over as Derek kneaded the muscles of his thighs. It didn’t take long for him to start begging for Derek’s knot again. This time, Derek kept Stiles on his back, placing a pillow under his hips to raise them.

After the wave had crested, Derek stayed on top of Stiles, face pressed against his neck. Stiles had a few moments of blissful contentment, before boredom and anxiety set in. He started shifting again, his body mimicking the restlessness of his mind. “So...”

“Mmm?”

“It's neat, you know, that we happen to be from counties right next to each other.” Stiles kept thinking about whether Derek might let him see his dad. He should probably wait until the heat was over, and he was at the top of his game mentally, but he couldn’t rest without getting a feel for Derek’s opinion on the matter.

“‘S nice.” Derek mumbled. “Better for family.”

Stiles closed his eyes and tried to take a subtle deep breath. That sounded promising, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. 

Apparently, it was pretty hard to be sneaky about taking bolstering breathes when someone was literally pressed against your chest. “Stiles?” Derek asked, running his nose against Stiles’ throat.  
“Better like…?” Stiles wanted Derek to elaborate, but he was still too nervous to ask outright for what he really needed to know.

“You’ll be close to your family, so you’ll have more support. You’ve been through a lot, and they’ll make the adjustment easier.” Derek said. “And when we have kids of our own, the more family members around to help, the better. You can never have too many people to love a child.”

Stiles swallowed thickly, “I can see my dad then?”

Derek pushed up and frowned down at Stiles. Stiles lowered his gaze in submission, and Derek pressed a kiss to his jaw, then shifted his weight so he could tip Stiles’ face up to meet his gaze. It was the first time Stiles had really _looked_ at Derek’s eyes. He hadn’t really noticed their colour before, but they were fascinating. Not quite green, but not really blue or grey either.

“Stiles, why would you even ask that?” Derek said.

Stiles heart sank. “Please, Derek, I’m the only family he had left. He’s so close by, I won’t be gone long--”

“Stiles, sweetheart, stop. It’s okay.” Derek smoothed his hand over Stiles’ hair. “That isn’t what I meant at all. You can see your father whenever you want, Stiles.”

Stiles throat clenched. “Really?”

“Of course. Family is important,” Derek said. “I don’t understand why you think I wouldn’t let you see him when he lives so near.”

Stiles’ eyes stung with tears and he tried not to choke on his relief. “Some alphas think omegas will get too distracted by their old families and not care for their own household properly. You’re my alpha, if you decide you don’t want me to see anyone at all, there’s nothing I can do.”

Derek cringed. “Baby, no. You’re mine and I’m going to take care of you, but I’m not going to control you. I want you to see your dad and your friends. I want you to be happy. Anytime you want, Stiles, say the word, and I’ll get you to them.”

“I can see Scott? And Melissa?” Stiles asked.

“I don’t know who they are but, yeah, sure. Anyone you want,” Derek said, covering Stiles’ face in light kisses.

“Promise?” Stiles whispered.

“I promise,” Derek said. He held Stiles close, even after they could separate, soothing him until they both fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

It was late morning when Stiles’ heat finally broke after two days. It had receded gradually, leaving him lucid for longer periods of time, until the fire and urgency under his skin disappeared entirely. Stiles felt relaxed and languid in its absence. It felt good to be snuggled up with Derek, warm instead of burning. 

Derek had taken advantage of the lulls between waves. He made sure they ate, rested, and had even gotten them into the bath at one point. They hadn’t made it out before the next wave, but Stiles hadn’t really considered that a problem. In fact, he’d really like to test it out again, along with a few of the other positions Derek had tried.

He'd expected to be sore, and to an extent, he was, but since Derek had made a point of changing positions, he didn’t have any particular group of muscles or area that was stiffer than others. His ass throbbed a bit, though, and still felt full and a bit wet with slick and come. 

That was enough to get Stiles up and out of the warm haven of Derek’s arms. He left Derek stretched out in bed, and gave himself a quick, but thorough wash in the shower. He went to the dresser as quietly as he could, tripping over the sleep pants he’d used and discarded the first night, and slipped into a new pair. He grabbed a bottle of water from the depleted mini-fridge and sat down cross legged on the bed next to his mate.

Left to his own devices without the haze of starvation and heat, his mind raced. Had Derek liked the heat as much as Stiles had? Maybe Stiles was really awful at sex and Derek would only want to be with him when he was desperate. He could hate Stiles, lots of people did. Stiles was loud and opinionated and he could never keep still. What if Derek had wanted an obedient omega like Kate had said, and he was going to send Stiles back? The Argents were probably going to be arrested, so he couldn’t give Stiles back to them, but he certainly wouldn’t have to stay mated to Stiles. Any judge would agree that the situation of their mating was grounds for annulment, but Stiles didn’t want that. He wanted Derek.

During many of the times they were tied, Derek had read aloud to Stiles, stopping frequently when Stiles would ask a question, or make a comment. They spent more time sharing common interests and stories than they did actually reading, but Stiles didn’t really mind.

He enjoyed learning little things about Derek, like his hatred for coconut, and love of independent films. He wanted to hear more about Derek’s work as a mechanic and his time spent traveling with Laura. 

He appreciated Derek’s dry sense of humour. It suited Stiles’ own brand of sarcasm. He also liked that Derek was close with his siblings. Their conversations led Stiles to believe the Hales were a large, tightly knit family, and Derek’s loyalty to them appealed to Stiles’ omega instincts and reminded him of his own connection with his father. 

Their conversations had painted a picture of what their life could be like together. Stiles knew Derek now, and while it was much sooner than he had planned, he thought he would be happy as Derek’s omega. Every instinct he had was screaming that Derek was the alpha he was meant to be with.

He wanted to stay with Derek, in the county close to where his father lived, where they could take care of each other, and have cubs like Derek had told him during his heat. He thought Derek would be a good dad, and they could raise them together to be strong, independent and well loved. But words whispered during heat sex weren’t always what people meant in reality. Even a virgin like Stiles knew that. 

Well, not a virgin anymore.

What if he was pregnant now? Without his suppressants, he was without birth control as well. Would Derek stay with him if there was a baby? Stiles didn’t want that either. he wanted Derek to love him, to want to be with him. Not to put up with him because it was “the right thing to do”.

Stiles’ heart was pounding as he thought of Derek growing resentful of being saddled with an obnoxious, hyperactive, needy omega and a kid.

The sound of his racing pulse was roaring so loud in his ears, he barely heard Derek’s sleepy voice. “Stiles? What’s wrong?”

Stiles winced. “Sorry. I’ll just go in the bathroom. ‘M sorry I woke you up.”

“What?” Derek rolled over and put a firm hand on Stiles’ knee as Stiles shifted toward the edge of the bed. “No, stay. What happened?”

“Nothing, it's fine. I didn’t mean to wake you up. You must be tired after…Well, you know. You were there, so of course you know why you’d be tired.” Stiles could feel the words bubbling up but he couldn’t get them to stop. “You should eat something, so that you’ll have more energy. Do you want some more peanut butter? Protein is supposed to be good for that. Which, you know, is probably why we’ve been eating it. Did you know it takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12 ounce jar of peanut butter? That’s a lot of peanuts. Can you imagine shelling that many? Obviously, they use a machine but still that would be, you know.” Fuck, why is he talking about peanut butter? Derek doesn’t care!

“Thomas Jefferson was a peanut farmer.” Derek settled onto his pillow, looking at Stiles with half closed eyes. 

“How do you know that?” Stiles asked, his fingers twitched in his lap as he resisted the urge to run them through Derek’s stubble.

The corner of Derek’s mouth quirked. “Project in fourth grade. For some reason, it stuck with me. How do you know how many peanuts are in a jar?”

Stiles squirmed. “I get distracted, and start researching random things. Then the things get stuck in my head and blurted out on unsuspecting bystanders. At least you’ve only been subjected to peanut butter and not the history of male circumcision. I don’t know if my econ teacher ever really recovered from that.”

A low chuckle rumbled from Derek’s chest and he rolled on his side wrapping his arm around Stiles’ waist. It felt like it vibrated all the way through Stiles and he wanted to spend the rest of his life getting Derek to make that sound. “We should go downstairs. I bet I can find bread to go under our peanut butter,” Derek said. 

“Ahh, the height of luxury,” Stiles joked. He couldn’t resist the urge to sweep his fingers through Derek’s dark hair. He still smelled like sweat and sex and the delectable mix of _them_ was soaked into his skin. “I suppose you’ll want to shower first.”

Derek growled and Stiles wasn’t sure if he just didn’t want to get out of bed or if he too was reluctant to wash the evidence of their heat away. Derek sighed before accepting the inevitable. “Join me?”

Stiles’ jaw dropped in shock and Derek loosed his hold to look up at him. “You...Um. You want me to?”

Derek frowned. “Yes, I...Unless you don’t want to--”

“I do!” Stiles said quickly. “I just...didn’t think you’d want me to, now that my heat’s finished.”

Derek looked confused. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Stiles squirmed. “I’m not exactly the ideal omega, and Allison kind of pressured you into mating me. I understand if, maybe all this is more than you bargained for. If you don’t want to stay with me--”

A growl cut Stiles off as Derek’s eyes flashed red and his claws dug into Stiles’ hips, just shy of painful. Stiles let his own eyes flash in response but didn’t look away as Derek took deep breaths, trying to regain his control. 

When his claws had receded and the colour bled from his eyes, Derek said, “I knew when we met, you weren’t like the ‘Omega Ideal’ people always talk about. That’s why I like you. I want a partner, not a slave. There's a spark in your eyes, and I want to see it catch fire. You’ve been through a lot and if you don’t want this I…” He stopped and swallowed, body tensed for rejection. “I’ll try and let you go, but please don’t think that you aren’t everything I want in a mate.”

The words smoothed over Stiles doubts and concerns like a balm. He was sure it would take time and work for his insecurities to disappear entirely, but it was more than enough for them to build on. He uncrossed his legs and wiggled down to lie with Derek, snuggling into him. “I don’t want to leave you. It’s nice right here. Safe.”

Derek tilted his face up, and pressed their lips together. It wasn’t the first kiss they’d shared, what with the past two days of heat, but it felt like it was. It felt like a sunrise, or a first snow, rife with possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was totally going to just end this fic here, and leave it at that. My beta decided that would be cruel and unusual, so you have [ChloeWeird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeWeird) to thank for the rest of this fic existing, and for it being so wonderfully beta’d...Even though she takes away all my exclamation points!!!


	9. Chapter 9

They made it into the shower, and didn’t come back out with any sort of haste. When they were finally finished, Derek rifled through the drawers to find something suitable for them to wear downstairs. He grabbed a pair of gray sweatpants and dark t-shirt for himself. Stiles was a little harder, because Derek wanted to find the perfect thing. He settled eventually on some thick sleep pants to keep him warm and a long sleeved shirt. Stiles seemed happy with the choices and Derek’s inner alpha preened.

“Do you want me to strip the bed?” Stiles asked, when their clothes were on.

“It’s fine, I’ll come up and do it later.” Derek tugged Stiles out the door. “Let’s go get food.”

Stiles worried his lip a bit. “Your family is pretty big, right? What if another omega needs the room?”

“They can use one of the other ones,” Derek assured him. “I promise I’ll clear it out after we eat.”

“You have more than one heat room?” Stiles asked, clearly impressed.

“Technically, we have three, but the basement one isn’t used as often,” Derek explained. Stiles eyebrows rose, so he elaborated. “We used to just have one. But like you said, we’re a pretty big family. There was a bit of an incident several years ago. Two of our omegas went into heat at the same time. The alphas got so focused on providing for them, they got into a fight over who would use it. Mom had to douse them with cold water and get between them before they came to their senses.”

Stiles eyes widened. “What about the omegas? Were they okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” Derek said. “While their alphas were fighting, they played rock paper scissors to decide who would stay, then the one who lost called a family friend to use theirs. Teased their alphas about it for weeks.”

Stiles relaxed, and laughed a bit, the way Derek had hoped he would. 

“Anyway, Mom decided the best way to avoid a repeat of that was to add another heat room. The original room was in the basement, which was mostly used for storage space and getting pretty, so they renovated the attic. It had space for two rooms, the one we used, and a mirror layout on the other side,” Derek said.

They were nearing the stairs to the ground floor, when footsteps came pounding up it. Slater bounded up the stairs and barrelled into Derek’s legs. “Derek! I haven’t seen you in days and days and days!”

“Hi, Slay,” Derek said fondly. Slater immediately started using Derek as a jungle gym, so he grabbed him around the waist and set him on his hip. “Stiles, this is my little brother, Slater.”

“Hi there,” Stiles said. Slater snuggled into Derek’s neck shyly. “How old are you?”

Slater held up three chubby fingers and said, “Four.”

Stiles stifled a laugh. “Wow, four, did you have a birthday party?”

Slay nodded vigorously. “I’m gonna have another one soon. It’s gonna have cake and hats and Spiderman!”

“Hats and Spiderman? That’s gonna be the coolest party ever,” Stiles said, and just like that Slater’s shyness was gone. Derek carried him down into the kitchen while Slater and Stiles gushed about the awesomeness of party hats.

Derek set Slater down on an island stool. He was about to investigate the fridge when he heard someone say, “Shit, shit, shit,” and run for the stairs.

“I’ve got Slay,” he called, and was rewarded with a surprised yelp. Malia clomped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Slater, you were suppose to stay where I can see you,” she scolded.

“You were being boring,” Slater pouted. “No one’s played with me in days and days.”

Malia wasn’t having any of it. “You played with Denny before breakfast, and Aunt Maura took a bunch of you swimming yesterday. Your mom asked if you wanted to go shopping with Uncle Logan and you decided to stay here instead.”

“Shopping is boring and breakfast was ages ago,” Slater whined. “I wanted to see Derek.”

“Wow, are you okay?” Stiles asked Malia, melodramatically widening his eyes. “I’d be really scared if I was hanging out with someone and they suddenly disappeared.”

Malia looked at him confused for a second, so he raised his eyebrows and flicked his gaze to Slater. “Yes,” she said, flatly. “I was very scared.”

Slater gasped. “I’m sorry, Malia, I didn’t mean to make you scared.”

Malia smirked. “It’s okay, kiddo, just don’t disappear without telling me again, okay?” Slater nodded, then leaned over and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek. “Great. Crisis averted.”

“Is everyone out?” Derek asked.

“Pretty much. I think Morgan is in the garden, but everyone else is working, running errands or dealing with--” She stopped short, looking between Slay and Stiles sheepishly. “Anyway, Talia said to tell you the garage called, and there's waffle batter and bacon in the fridge.” 

Derek hurried over to the fridge and pulled out the batter. “Toast or waffles and bacon?” He asked Stiles.

“Dude, is that even a question?” He said. “Always yes to bacon.”

Derek herded Stiles over to sit on the seat beside Slater. He knew perfectly well that omegas weren’t fragile, but his instincts were still going a bit haywire from the heat and he wanted to take care of him. Making Stiles food would go a long way to settling his provider drive.

Malia settled into the breakfast nook with her phone so she could keep an eye on Slater. Stiles managed to strike up a conversation with Slater that progressed from awesome breakfast food to favourite animals, with a fair amount of blurred lines. (Pigs were decided to be both delicious and adorable.)

Derek busied himself with plugging in the waffle iron and heating the bacon. He found some strawberries in the fridge and after checking with Stiles, he cut them up to go on top. He found three different kinds of syrup to offer him and some whip cream too. Derek relished watching Stiles dig into the first waffle and savoured all the little noises of pleasure he made when he ate. When he was sure that Stiles had his fill, he made some for himself, and gave Slater a quarter of a waffle, even though he’d already eaten.

“Is Stiles your omega, Derek?” Slater asked, wiping syrup across his face.

“Uh-huh,” Derek said, refusing to look at Malia, because he could already feel her teasing smirk pointing his way.

“Are you gonna take care of him?” Slater said, seriously.

“We're gonna try and take care of each other,” Derek said. 

Slater nodded, like that made sense. “Can I have more strawberries?”

“Sure,” Derek said, grabbing another one from the carton to cut up. He noticed Stiles beaming at him, so he guessed that was a good enough answer.

When the food was finished, Stiles pronounced himself sticky up to his elbows. After washing his own syrupy hands, Derek left Stiles washing up with Slater, giggling like it was a game rather than a chore.

He called into work quickly and was relieved to find he wasn’t needed that day, and would only have to come in for a couple of hours tomorrow. Derek wanted to take the time to get Stiles settled in but he didn’t want to leave his co-workers in the lurch. He was grateful his job had such an understanding heat policy. 

When the call was finished, Derek popped up to the heat room to deal with it like he’d promised. He didn’t have to do much more than haul the laundry downstairs, turn on the air purifier and run a carpet cleaner over the mattress. That was more than a lot of people did, but then, they didn’t have so many different couples in their house.

He didn’t bother restocking the food, clothes or towels, because he knew one of the family’s omegas would come up to fuss with it anyway, replenishing everything to their specifications much more thoroughly than Derek could. It would just make more work for them if he got in the way. 

Derek followed the sound of voices to the living room and found Stiles sprawled out on the floor with Slater putting a puzzle together.

“Do you think it goes here?” Stiles asked, holding a white piece up to a green one with a completely different edge.

“No!” Slater giggled, having clearly caught onto the game.

“It doesn’t?” Stiles asked, with overblown incredulity. “How about here?” He held the piece up to an equally unlikely match and Slater rolled on the floor laughing. Derek chuckled and Stiles whipped his head around in surprise. Derek thought the flush rising to his cheeks was adorable. 

“Mal, do you know when Mom will be home?” Derek asked.

Malia shook her head. “I think she and Peter are meeting with Stiles’ dad again. Could take awhile.”

“Thanks,” Derek said. “Stiles, I was thinking we could head over to your old house. You can pack up the stuff you want to have with you here.”

“Really?” Stiles asked brightly. “That would be great.”

“Can I come?” Slater asked excitedly.

“Not today, bud,” Derek said. “But maybe if you ask nicely, Stiles will play with you later.”

Slater launched himself at Stiles, shouting, “Please, please, please, please--”

Stiles laughed. “Who could resist? I’ll catch you later, Slater-gator.” He accepted a sloppy kiss from the giggling child and followed Derek up to his room.

Derek hadn't actually had the opportunity to show Stiles his room yet, and he was a bit nervous. The rest of the house was the pack’s. This room was just Derek’s and it reflected his tastes. He wanted Stiles to be pleased with their special space.

Stiles eyes widened as he entered the room. “Do you like it?” Derek asked.

Stiles nodded. “It’s big.”

Derek tried to picture the space like he was seeing it for the first time. The large bed looked comfortable, but then again he knew it was, because he slept there. He thought the TV was in a good spot, the desk seemed sturdy and the old fashioned storage trunk at the end of the bed looked interesting. But then, he’d thought those things when he’d put them there. He walked over to the closet, and wondered if the layout of the room was as logical as he’d always assumed.

“There should be enough room in here for both our clothes, but if you need more space, I can get another dresser or something,” he called behind him.

Stiles stuck his head into the walk-in and whistled. “Nah, man. There’s no way I have that many clothes. This is great.”

Derek smiled, grateful for the praise. “I don’t use the desk very often, but you can. You could move it around so it suits you or there's a library a lot of the kids use for homework during the school year.”

Stiles blanched. “Oh shit. What month is it?”

“July,” Derek said quickly. “Why, what’s wrong?”

“It was May when I was taken. The school year wasn’t finished yet.” Stiles groaned. “I was so close to being finished high school. What if I have to repeat the whole semester?”

“It’s okay,” Derek said, reaching for him. “We'll make sure you don’t have to. We’ll talk to the school and figure something out, okay?”

Stiles let himself be pulled into Derek’s chest. He grumbled, “Just a couple more weeks and I would never have to deal with that stupid chemistry teacher again.” Derek gave him one last squeeze before stepping back.

“Go look around, so you know what you want to grab from your dad’s house. We can make more than one trip, but you’ll probably have some things that you’ll want right away.”

Stiles went out of the closet, and Derek grabbed some jeans to change into. He could hear Stiles muttering in the next room, listing things he’d want, including, “pillow, hoodie, laptop, laptop, _laptop._ ” 

“Do you want something to change into, or will you wait for your own clothes?” Derek called. “I could track down the ones you came in--”

“ _No._ ” Stiles yelled. Derek hurried out of the closet to see Stiles grimace. “Sorry, I just...Those weren't mine. I don’t want them back.”

Derek realized the clothes must have been from the Argents and he nearly growled. He would be getting rid of them permanently as soon as possible. He took a calming breath and grabbed his shoes. “All set then?” He asked. Stiles nodded and rushed to the door, and Derek took his hand as they left.


	10. Chapter 10

Stiles thought Derek’s car was just as nice as Peter’s. He had no idea what kind it was, but there were comfortable leather seats and an impressive stereo. Derek called it a Camaro, like that was supposed to mean something. Stiles felt a bit awkward at first, but he quickly got distracted by his excitement to finally be returning home.

The drive went quickly as they teased each other about radio station choices and rocked out to mutual favourites. Stiles was practically bouncing in his seat when they finally turned onto his street. Derek pulled up in front of the house and Stiles briefly strangled himself trying to get his seatbelt off while chanting, “Jeep, jeep, jeep, look Derek, my jeep is here!”

He finally extricated himself from the strap and rushed over to hug the hood of his car. He sighed as he pressed against the familiar blue metal. Derek cleared his throat behind him, and Stiles looked over his shoulder to see Derek eyeing the jeep dubiously. “I know it’s not nearly as nice as your cars. I mean, it’s kind of a heap of junk,” Stiles said, affectionately. “But it was my mom’s car.”

“What does she drive now?” Derek asked.

Stiles blinked. He hadn’t realized they hadn’t talked about that. “Nothing, uh, she died when I was 11.”

Derek tensed, “Oh, I didn’t realize...it must mean a lot to you then.”

Stiles nodded. He kissed his palm then slapped it on the jeep. Next, he retrieved the spare key from under the ceramic frog to open the front door. He kicked off his shoes and ran up the stairs, then flopped down onto his bed. He closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure as the familiar comfort sank in. 

Derek chuckled from the doorway, and Stiles listened to him walk over to the bed. The mattress shifted and Derek brushed a kiss along Stiles’ cheek. He opened his eyes and smiled up at Derek, wrapping his arms around his waist to pull him down. Derek settled over him carefully and rubbed his nose along Stiles’ temple.

Derek’s weight was an odd mix of familiar and new. It felt like they fit together perfectly, but even though they’d been pressed together countless times over the last two days, this was different. Less vital and more simply pleasant. They didn’t need to be together, but he wanted them to be. 

He glanced around his childhood bedroom and everything looked the same, even though his whole life had changed. 

Derek kissed the hinge of Stiles’ jaw, and that change didn’t seem so scary. He was mad as hell as at the Argents, and he wouldn’t have chosen that way to start their life together, but he could make the best of it with Derek at his side. 

Stiles patted Derek’s butt. “Okay, big guy, I have packing to do.”

Derek sighed, pressed his face into Stiles neck to take a giant whiff, then rolled off of him. “Want help?”

Stiles hopped off the bed and opened his closet. He flushed when he realized very little was on the hangers, or in the drawers. Clearly, he hadn’t done laundry in a while before he was taken. 

“This could take awhile,” he said, diving into the mess. He started sorting clothes into whites and colours, need nows and need laters. When he had his first load put together, Derek offered to go down and throw it in the wash. “Are you sure?” Stiles asked.

Derek rolled his eyes. “I’ve done laundry before, Stiles. I’m sure your washer isn’t too complicated.”

Stiles shrugged and explained which soaps and settings to use, then went back to sorting while Derek took the basket downstairs. 

He was nearly finished when he heard someone running up the stairs. He thought maybe Derek was having a laundry issue, but instead of his alpha, Scott burst through the door.

“You’re back!” Scott shouted. Stiles tripped over a laundry basket in his haste to hug him. Scott squeezed hard and Stiles returned the embrace with just as much fervor.

He hadn’t let himself think of Scott while with the Argents. It was hard enough to consider what his absence would do to his father without the grief of missing his best friend, too. “Hey, Scotty,” he said thickly.

They would have stayed there hugging for longer, but suddenly there was a hair raising growl from the door. Scott tensed, grabbing Stiles’ arm defensively, and Stiles looked over his shoulder to see Derek standing in the doorway, eyes blazing red.

“Scott, let go a sec, okay?” Stiles said, trying his best to sound calm. Scott looked at him dubiously, but he let go. Stiles nudged him aside and approached Derek slowly. “Der, this is Scott. He’s my best friend. He’s a beta, and we’re friends, okay?”

Derek’s growl cut off abruptly and he started talking visibly deep breaths to calm himself. He reached for Stiles tentatively, and Stiles stepped into Derek’s space.

“Sorry,” Derek muttered. “I’m overreacting. I just…”

“Hormones are a bitch, dude,” Stiles said. He glanced over to see Scott nodding in agreement. “I think your claiming instinct is still going strong.”

Derek nodded. “I’m sorry, you must have been excited to see each other, and I ruined it.”

“It’s okay,” Stiles said, giving Derek a peck on the cheek. “Think you can handle it if I give Scott another hug?”

Derek nodded. He clenched his fists at his side, but he didn’t growl again when Stiles and Scott slapped each others backs.

“Missed you, dude,” Scott said.

“You too,” Stiles said. He ruffled Scott’s fluffy hair for good measure and stepped back. He still felt a bit tired, so he sat on the bed and gestured for Derek to come join him. Derek didn’t hesitate, moving in behind him so Stiles could lean his back against Derek’s chest. 

Scott took the desk chair, and sat looking awkward for a second, “So, you’re, like, mated now?”

“Little bit,” Stiles said, and Scott laughed. Even with his beta nose, he could smell how thoroughly claimed Stiles was, not to mention Derek’s over-reaction to Scott’s presence. Stiles introduced them properly. 

Scott offered to help Stiles pack, and tried to get him up to date on everything that had happened in their social circle since Stiles had been gone. Scott knew Stiles well enough to know what he would want to bring and what could stay behind. Stiles was grateful for the help, and the fact that Scott didn’t press for details about his disappearance. 

They’d made a good amount of headway when Stiles’ dad got home. He trudged up the stairs when they called a greeting. Stiles was disheartened to see how tired and upset he looked. He went over immediately, and the Sheriff pulled him close into a solid embrace.

“Jesus, kiddo, how did you…” The Sheriff started, then cut himself off. 

“What have they got so far?” Stiles asked. 

The Sheriff shook his head. “Talia will be over soon, we’ll talk about it then.” He sighed and asked, “What are you boys up to?”

“Just packing some things to take with me,” Stiles said. “I know a lot of alphas don’t let their omegas bring their old things but Derek said I could bring whatever I wanted and he would take care of anything else.”

The Sheriff looked at the piles of clothes and packed up belongings. “Stiles…”

Stiles looked at his dad nervously. “What? What’s wrong?”

“You know, you don’t need to move to the Hale place,” the Sheriff said. 

Stiles looked at Derek, and he looked equally confused. “Dad, most omegas move to their alpha’s home. It's part of the whole tradition that an alpha is the provider,” he said, but he knew his dad already knew all that. It had been years since his mother had died, but that didn’t mean his dad would forget basic social norms. “I guess, technically Derek could move here, but his work is much closer to the Hale house, so…”

Derek nodded agreement, like he was open to the idea, but it made more sense for Stiles to go with him.

The Sheriff sighed again, “Yes, Stiles, I know that, I…” He scrubbed a hand over his face and said to Scott and Derek, “Boys could you give us a minute?”

They both got up, but Derek’s hand lingered on Stiles’ arm before he left. They listened to them walk down the stairs and then went to sit on the bed together. 

The Sheriff draped his arm over Stiles’ shoulder, and sat composing his thoughts. It took him a couple tries before he finally said, “Kiddo, you’ve been through a lot. No one in their right mind would blame you for not staying mated to Derek.”

Cold dread hit Stiles in the stomach immediately at the thought of dissolving their contract. “I know that,” he said quietly.

“What happened to you…” the Sheriff continued. “Stiles, that’s not how mates should be found, that’s not what the Market is for.”

“I know that, too,” Stiles said. “Obviously, it’s not how I expected to meet my mate, and everything Kate said about omegas is completely fucked up but...I want to stay with Derek.”

The sheriff continued to look at him with concern, “Stiles, you’ll be able to find another alpha--”

“I don’t want another alpha,” Stiles said, more forcefully than he intended.

“Okay,” his dad said. “Okay. I’m just trying to make sure you know you have options.”

Stiles let out a shaky breath. “I know this probably seems crazy. I only met him three days ago, and of course I wasn’t exactly in my right mind. I didn’t expect to find an alpha I’d want to spend my life with for another couple years at least, but Dad, he’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and when he holds me...It just feels right. All the bullshit Kate said for the past three months slips away, because I know he’s going to take care of me, because he likes _me_ , and I’m going to take care of him.”

“I get it, kid,” he said. “When I met your mother…” They both smiled fondly remembering how she would talk about the day they met. “Well, the right time and the right situation don’t mean so much when it’s the right person.”

Stiles hugged his dad tight. “We should go over the contract, though. I have no clue what went down during that.”

The Sheriff gave a melancholy chuckle, “Sure thing.”

***

The Stilinski house was made with advanced alpha hearing in mind. Meaning, not great for eavesdropping. Derek didn’t try to intrude by straining to hear, but he desperately wanted to know what Stiles and his father were talking about. From the look of the Sheriff, whatever it was really wasn’t good.

Scott chattered away cheerfully and Derek tried to pay attention, but his mind was otherwise focused. What if Stiles needed him and Derek didn’t know? What if the Sheriff had decided that Stiles couldn’t come live with him, and he’d have to leave Stiles behind?

Scott sighed when Derek asked him to repeat a question for the third time and gave up the pretense of doing anything but waiting for the Stilinskis to come downstairs.

Derek heard them come out of the bedroom at the same time he saw his mother’s red BMW pull up outside. Stiles came straight to Derek when he entered the living room, settling in against his side, while the Sheriff veered off at the sound of the door bell. 

“Everything okay?” Derek asked, quietly. Stiles nodded, but he nestled his face into Derek’s neck like he needed a little extra comfort. Derek certainly did, so he tilted his head to give Stiles better access. 

When his parents walked in, Derek was surprised to see them in each others’ space so much. After nearly 40 years of marriage and five children, they didn’t often need the reassurance of physical contact while they were out in public. 

“Mom?” he said, concerned. 

Talia gave him a sad smile, and instead of taking an armchair she came to sit on the couch with Derek and Stiles. They settled together with Stiles and Talia in the middle, Derek and Eric bracketing them securely. 

The Sheriff settled on the loveseat next to Scott, leaving the armchair for Peter. Everyone sat in silence, not knowing how to start.

Finally, Peter said, blithely, “Well, congratulations, Stiles. You’ve becoming the catalyst for toppling a multi-generational crime ring.”

“Peter,” Talia scolded, while Stiles barked out a laugh.

“Dude,” Scott said, staring at Peter, wide eyed.

“Did they get them, then? Will the Argents go to jail?” Stiles asked.

“There have been a number of arrests made in conjunction with the crimes committed against you and the abduction and coercion of other omegas,” Talia said. “There are a number of different law enforcement branches that are involved in the case, since multiple counties are involved. They’ve asked that at some point you go to make a second statement, and look at some photos to help confirm the people involved.” 

Stiles nodded, then looked to his father. “What happened, Dad?”

The Sheriff frowned consideringly then nodded to himself. “Well, we procured a search warrant for the Argents’ properties and records. We started with the main house, which their official offices ran out of. At first, we didn’t find much, then someone realized Gerard Argent, the head of the family, had a USB on him. When we opened it up, we found detailed records of all the omegas that have been taken and sold for the past 25 years.”

“Jesus,” Derek muttered.

“Of course, we're not sure if that’s exactly when the operation started,” Peter pointed out. “That could be just what he had digitized. Kept the whole thing in his pocket, the cocky bastard.”

“Peter, please,” Eric said, seeing Talia’s look of exasperation. Peter shrugged and waved a hand for the Sheriff to continue.

“After that, we started talking with Allison Argent. She was pretty upset by the size of the file and showed us to another space registered to the Argents, in an unpopulated area a few miles from their house.” The Sheriff hesitated before continuing. “When we swept the building, we found the place you told us about, and omegas that were still there. When we got there, Kate Argent was…She was with an omega and she was...”

Stiles curled closer into Derek. “Disciplining?”

“That’s not discipline,” Peter said, eye iced with anger.

“No, it certainly is not, but that’s what she called it,” the Sheriff said. “She started ranting and raving about some kind of list or code. Talking about how omegas were a hazard to themselves and others when they weren’t mated. All sorts of crap you only hear from crazy die-hard traditionalists.”

Stiles nodded, and Derek remembered that Stiles must have heard all the terrible things Kate thought already.

“She was still in the cage and we couldn’t get to her without fear of hurting the omega,” The sheriff said. “Eventually, her own brother tackled her.”

“Allison’s father?” Derek asked.

“That’s right,” Talia said. 

“Of course, he was arrested right along with her,” Peter said.

“It seems Chris Argent has been having some doubts about the whole operation since his wife passed away,” Talia informed them. “It doesn’t change what he did, but he and Allison have both been cooperating well.”

Derek felt a bit sad for the father and daughter. Chris Argent was almost a respectable guy, until you factored in his staunchly conservative views. Before this whole debacle came to light, Derek had really thought Allison was starting to come around. “What about Allison?”

Peter snorted. “Girl sang like a canary.”

“Allison has been helping to connect the dots for the whole operation. The DA is considering a plea bargain,” the Sheriff said, looking to Stiles to gage his reaction.

“That would be good,” he said.

“Really?” Scott asked.

Stiles shrugged. “Well, yeah. Allison has been in this operation her whole life. If we had anti-omega propaganda shoved down our throats the way she did, we’d probably have done the same thing. At least Allison…” Stiles stopped chewing on his lip. “She brought me water even when she wasn’t supposed to, and she and her dad got me out of there. Most importantly, she got me to Derek.”

Derek flushed as Stiles smiled up at him. Allison had fucked up, but if there was anything in her life she had gotten right, it was bringing Stiles and Derek together. 

“Considering the Argents’ usual clientele, that was quite a feat,” said the Sheriff.

“What does that mean?” Derek asked.

“We’ve started working our way through the Argents’ records to track down these omegas. Our original goal was to compile information against the Argents, but…” the Sheriff trailed off shaking his head.

“All the omegas we have contacted so far show signs of neglect or abuse,” Peter explained. “The alphas they were sold to treat them like slaves. They’re controlling, possessive, entitled, stingy, and in many cases, cruel.”

Stiles laced his fingers tightly with Derek’s, and Derek struggled not to picture what would have happened to him at the hands of these alphas.

“We’ve removed what omegas we can from their households, but not all of them are willing to leave,” the Sheriff said. “We need to have their matings dissolved, find them somewhere safe to stay, and find qualified psychologists to work through the trauma with them. We’ve barely scratched the surface of that list. The older the entries, the more complicated it will get.”

“And of course, as the news picks up on the information, omegas are starting to come out of the woodwork,” Peter said.

“They are?” Stiles said. “Why now?”

“Because of you, Stiles,” Talia said. “All of these omegas were told that no one would believe them, or care. You’ve set a precedent. If you can speak out, and people will support you, so can they.”

Stiles looked between the adults like it had never occurred to him that his bravery would help others. Finally, he said, “What can I do to help?”

“Nothing, Stiles,” the Sheriff said, quickly. “Just focus on your own situation.”

“Well, that’s not quite true,” Peter said. The Sheriff shot him a glare, but Peter just smiled in return. “We are trying to work with the media to provide these omegas with the resources needed to get out of this dreadful situation. Getting information to the omegas themselves, asking the public for support, financially or physically. We can be most effective in this if we have a designated spokesperson. A face and a name to add a personal element for the people to relate to.”

“I could do that,” Stiles said and turned to Derek. “Couldn’t I?”

“If you think you’d like to,” Derek said. “It’s up to you.”

“You don’t have to, Stiles,” the Sheriff said. “They can find someone else.”

“I want to help, Dad. I don’t know if I’m the best choice, but I’ll do it if they want me to.”

The sheriff looked resigned, but proud.

“I’ll set things up and keep you updated,” Peter said. 

“Now that you’re up to date,” the Sheriff said, briskly, “does anyone have a copy of Stiles and Derek’s mating contracts?”

A copy was produced, and they started going over the details. Derek was pleased to see that Stiles was much more vocal and involved in the proceedings this time around, though he didn’t like to dwell on the reason for the previous silence.

Everyone involved wanted what was best for Stiles and Derek, though they didn’t always agree on what that was. All in all, not many changes were made, since Peter had been very thorough when negotiating with Allison, but Derek felt better knowing Stiles and his father had approved everything.

They briefly discussed Stiles’ situation with finishing high school, and Stiles seemed very excited at the prospect of being allowed to attend college. Talia had explained that it was not only allowed for Hale omegas, but encouraged, and Stiles beamed.

When the conversation was over, they started piling Stiles’ packed belongings into various cars. They utilized Talia’s backseat, and gave Peter Derek’s filled Camaro. Stiles did a happy dance when his father had produced the keys to the jeep that Derek thought was ridiculously adorable. 

Scott bid them goodbye with the promise to get together soon, and Stiles hugged his dad before climbing into the driver's seat.

It had seemed like an excellent idea to go with Stiles in his jeep until Derek actually experienced it. He could hear every individual rattle and creak of the poor old car. By the time they were halfway home, he had identified which parts half of the sounds were coming from and the other half were driving him crazy. 

He winced at the loud grind of the gears as Stiles shifted down to turn, and Stiles shot him a questioning look. Derek smiled and asked him a question about Scott to distract him. 

If Derek had his way, Stiles wouldn’t be getting back in this car until Derek had become intimately acquainted with everything under it's hood.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, Stiles has a panic attack in this chapter.

After stashing Stiles’ things in Derek’s room, they had their first dinner with the pack. Derek could feel Stiles’ nervous energy vibrating at his side, but everything was very informal and the pack were all friendly and cheerful, doing their best not to overwhelm him.

As they ate, introductions were made, even though no one expected Stiles to remember the right names for the faces right off the bat. Derek watched as Stiles’ expression grew perplexed, then suspicious, and finally calculating, as more names were revealed and he began to make connections.

Finally, over dessert, Stiles said, “So...your sisters are Laura and Cora. And there’s Aunt Maura and your cousin Dora.”

“Yep,” Derek said.

“You have an Uncle Peter, and a brother, Slater,” Stiles continued. “And there's, Morgan and Logan, Sharon and Aaron, Calvin and Gavin--”

“Yes.” 

Stiles nodded, mouth twitching with an unrealized smile. “Well… That’s a fun little coincidence.”

Derek growled. “It’s an idiotic family tradition and I want no part in it.”

His family surged with catcalls, boos, and laughter, while Stiles grinned from having his theory confirmed. 

“Come on, Der,” Laura said. “You're just jealous because it's hard to find a true rhyme with Derek.”

“You can do soft rhymes though,” Stiles said. “Eric, obviously, Frederick, Cedrick, Maverick, Yorick.”

“Please stop,” Derek groaned.

“Someone write those down,” Logan called.

“Just you wait, Derek,” Gavin said. “I was dead set against the rhymes. Fat lot of good that does after your omega carried your kid and spent 16 hours in labour. They say they wanna name the baby Rainbow Petal, you’ll go for it.” His disgruntled tone was belied by the affectionate arm wrapped around his omega Penny’s shoulders.

The fact that Gavin’s kids were named Dora, Aaron, and Jenny made Derek a bit concerned for the truth of his statement. 

Instead of laughing, Stiles just flushed. Derek decided to take that as a sign that he was tired and excused them from dinner. 

Stiles claimed he wasn’t tired yet, so they spent some time reorganizing the room to accommodate Stiles’ things. Derek thought it was going well, but the later it got, the more agitated Stiles became. It was nearly midnight and Stiles showed no signs of packing it in for the night. 

“Getting late,” Derek said.

“Mmmm,” Stiles said, noncommittally.

Derek yawned. “Been a big day.”

Stiles responded with a forced looking smile. 

“I’m gonna get ready for bed, okay?” Derek said. Stiles nodded and Derek ducked into the en suite. When he came back out, Stiles had changed into pajamas, but he was sorting through his DVDs again with single minded focus. Derek climbed into bed and waited. When Stiles made no sign of moving, he said, “Bathroom is free.” 

“Right,” Stiles said. He put down a DVD carefully and rushed into the washroom. 

Derek stared at the door in confusion for a minute, then brushed his concern aside. He made sure his phone was plugged in then grabbed his book off the nightstand. After half an hour, Stiles still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom.

“Stiles, is everything okay?” Derek called.

“Yep!” Came the immediate reply.

He waited another five minutes. “Do you need anything?”

“No!”

He only lasted another two minutes the next time. “Stiles, it’s late.”

The door opened slowly and Stiles finally came out. He came over to the bed, but he hesitated at the edge instead of climbing in.

Stiles chewed at his thumb nervously as he stared at the empty space Derek had left for him. He made a few aborted attempts to speak before he finally asked, “Are we going to have sex?”

Derek dropped his book on his face in surprise. He picked it up quickly and rubbed his nose. “Ow. Um, if you want to? I mean, I kinda thought you’d be too tired.” 

Stiles shrugged. “I just thought...this is kind of our first night together.” Derek raised an eyebrow in confusion. Stiles huffed, “I mean like, without...hormonal distractions.”

“Huh,” Derek said. “Well, if you wanted to do...something, I wouldn’t mind. Or you could just do your thing, and I’ll read my book. Or we could just...you know, snuggle a bit.”

Stiles bit his lip. “Combination of option two and three?”

Derek smiled, “Sounds good.”

Stiles dove under the covers and settled with his head on Derek’s shoulder and his phone braced on Derek’s chest. He made frequent comments to Derek on anything he found interesting. It didn’t take long for the phone to fall from his limp hand. Derek set it aside with his own book, turned out the light and pulled Stiles more firmly against him.

***

Stiles woke up the next morning and blinked blearily at the clock. It was already eleven o’clock and Derek wasn’t in the bed anymore. Stiles rolled over to sit up on the side of the bed and found his phone had been plugged into Derek’s charger with a note on top.

_Had to go into the garage, be back later - D_

The tension that had formed the moment he’d realized the bed was empty released when he read the note. Derek hadn’t abandoned him, he just went into work. Stiles rolled his eyes at his own silly omega instincts and went to take a shower. 

When he was finished he trotted down to the kitchen in search of food. Laura, Cora and Malia were already there.

“Hey,” Laura greeted. “Hungry?”

“Always,” Stiles said. She gestured for him to take a seat and offered him a few choices of bagel. While it was toasting, he asked, “Do you know when Derek usually gets home from work?”

Laura tensed subtly. “Oh, you know, it kinda varies. Probably not for a few hours though.”

“That’s fine,” Stiles said. “I was thinking I might go see Scott or my Dad until he gets back.”

“Really?” Laura said, with a slight squeak in her voice.

“Yes,” Stiles said slowly, narrowing his eyes. 

“Your Dad might be busy with...you know,” Cora said, with brightness that seemed a bit forced. “Why don’t you hang out here with us?”

“Okay,” Stiles agreed, pushing down a tiny twinge of disappointment. It would be good to get to know his new family members and he could visit Beacon Hills another time.

“Except that all three of us are going to work soon,” Malia pointed out. 

Cora visibly deflated. “Right.” 

“You're probably tired anyway,” Laura said, setting the bagel down in front of him. “Why don’t you take the day to relax.”

Stiles was still feeling a bit weaker than he was normally, but he didn’t think leaving the house would be that strenuous. “That’s okay, I’ll be fine.”

Laura snapped her fingers. “How about I drive you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Stiles said with a shrug, licking cream cheese off his finger. “It’s probably out of your way.”

“I’ll call Peter,” Laura offered. “He’s been working with the police a lot for this.”

“He’s probably already there. I don’t want him to drive all the way back.” Stiles looked at Malia for confirmation and she nodded. Laura and Cora both glared at her. 

Stiles looked between them quizzically. “Umm, thanks, but we picked up my jeep yesterday. I can just take that.”

“No!” Cora and Laura shouted.

Stiles was starting to panic a bit. After talking to Derek, he’d been under the impression he could come and go as he pleased. Why were there suddenly two alphas set on making him stay put? The bagel turned to sawdust in his mouth and lead in his stomach. He pushed the plate away slightly and watched Laura droop a bit.

“Don’t you like it?” She asked.

“I’m not hungry anymore,” he said, quietly. He wanted to leave right then, but he wasn’t sure where he’d left his keys. Could he make it to up to his room and out to the jeep without them forcibly stopping him?

He slid off the stool slowly, and the alphas watched his every move. “I’ll see you guys later, okay?” He said, moving carefully toward the door without turning his back on them.

“Wait--” Laura moved toward him suddenly, and panic took over. Stiles flinched away from her and took off. 

He didn’t go up to his room because his alpha wasn’t there, and it wouldn’t keep him safe. He made it out the front door and off the porch, but then he realized his jeep wasn’t there. He stood frozen for a moment.

“Stiles!” Cora called.

Stiles unfroze himself and bolted toward Derek’s Camaro. He fumbled with the door handle and whimpered with relief when he found it unlocked. He threw himself into the driver's seat and slammed the door, hitting the lock behind him.

Panic squeezed at his lungs and shrouded his vision. He was stuck, and three alphas he barely knew were outside the car and he couldn’t leave and Derek _wasn’t there._

He could hear them talking outside, but he couldn’t focus on what they were saying. One of them tapped on the window and he flinched away, curling his head down. He tried to wiggle into the fetal position, but the steering wheel was in the way.

He lost track of time sitting in Derek’s car, trying not to scream. Suddenly the door was pulled open and someone was next to him. “Fuck,” Stiles shouted, trying to squirm across the seat.

“Stiles. Stiles, please, hold on a second,” the person said, calm but forceful. “Let me help you.”

Stiles kept trying to pull away until the person's scent finally infiltrated the panic induced fog of his brain. This was an omega, not an alpha. Stiles looked up, startled, and found Eric looking down at him. “I need to leave,” Stiles begged. “Please, I need to leave.”

“Okay,” Eric said, easily. “We can do that, we can leave right now. We can go anywhere you want, but I need you to breathe. Come on, Stiles, deep breath.”

Stiles tried to gasp in air, but he gave a hiccuping sob instead. Eric moved into the car slowly and pulled Stiles gently toward him. Stiles leaned in and let Eric rub steady circles over his back while murmuring calm reassurances. 

“Derek isn’t here and I want to go home,” Stiles mumbled.

“Derek is at work. He’ll be back soon. You can go anywhere you want.”

Stiles shook his head. “My jeep isn’t here and they didn’t want me to leave.”

“They made a mistake. They didn’t mean to scare you. They won’t keep you here. Your jeep is with Derek, and I have the key to this car right here, would you like it?” Eric said, holding out the key.

Stiles took it immediately, digging the sharp edge into his palm. He slowly absorbed what Eric had said. “What? Why is my jeep with Derek?”

Eric sighed. “Derek is a mechanic, Stiles. He could hear that your jeep wasn’t running very well. He wants to keep you safe, so he took it to work with him to start fixing it up. Laura and Cora thought Derek didn’t want you to know the jeep was gone, so they tried to convince you not to drive it.”

Stiles blinked up at him. “That’s stupid.”

“Yes, it was,” Eric said, shooting a glance at the porch. Laura and Cora were sitting on the steps, staring at them anxiously, while Malia lounged against the railing next to them. “They didn’t think it through well, or they might have considered how your recent trauma would affect your reaction to the implication that you couldn’t leave.”

Stiles sat for a moment processing what had happened. “This kinda sucks.”

“Yes,” Eric said, simply.

“I overreacted,” Stiles said, a different sort of dread curling in his stomach.

“Well, you certainly reacted forcefully,” Eric said, diplomatically. “No one is angry with you for responding to your instinct when faced with a perceived threat. Talia and I discussed the fact that you would have some lingering affects from the Argents’ treatment. We’d like you to consider seeing a therapist to help you process everything.”

Stiles nodded. He’d seen a therapist years ago when his mother had died. He’d hated going to those sessions, but he always felt a bit better when they were over.

“I’ll look into it further,” Eric said. “In the meantime, would you like me to stay with you?”

Stiles shook his head. He didn’t want take up any more of everyone’s time. 

“Do you want me to drive you somewhere? Take you back up to your bedroom?”

Stiles closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before opening them again. “If it’s okay, I think I’ll just stay here for awhile.”

Eric looked concerned but he agreed. He insisted that Stiles open the windows so he didn’t get overheated, and gave him one last hug.

Stiles locked the doors and watched as Eric talked to the girls. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they all looked upset, and kept glancing at the camaro. After a few minutes, they dispersed and Stiles wondered if he’d made them late for work. 

He found the lever to tip the seat back and curled up with his face pressed into the headrest, chasing the scent of Derek under the smell of hot leather. 

Eventually, he noticed a green sweater abandoned on the back seat and after a cursory sniff, he determined it was Derek’s. He bundled it against his chest, hugging it close while he buried his nose in the soft fabric. 

He drifted on the edge of consciousness for a while, too tired to move, even when the car grew stiflingly hot.

He was closer to asleep than awake when the passenger door opened, jolting him to attention. Stiles decided to blame his sleep addled brain for the fact that he scrambled into Derek’s lap before he had even sat down fully. 

“I’m sorry,” Derek said, pulling Stiles even closer. “I’m so sorry.”

“‘S’okay,” Stiles murmured into Derek’s neck. “I’m okay.” Now that Derek was here, he thought maybe he actually was okay, instead of just pretending to be. 

“I should have talked to you. I should have explained.”

Stiles almost said that it was fine, that Derek hadn’t done anything wrong, but Derek was right. If Stiles had known Derek would be taking the jeep, this might not have happened. “Yeah, you should have. It’s okay. Next time we’ll know.”

Derek nodded. “I’m so sorry, Stiles, I didn’t mean--”

“I know,” Stiles said quietly. “It’s okay, I’m not mad, I just...don’t want to do that again.”

Derek kissed Stiles, then settled him back in so Stiles could press his nose against Derek’s neck. 

Neither of them suggested moving for the next hour, and they didn’t say it, but they both knew this wasn’t going to be the last time Stiles’ trauma would come back to mess with them.


	12. Chapter 12

“You okay, dude?” Scott asked.

Stiles looked up from the papers he had been staring at. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, just a bit tired,” Stiles assured him. He’d been tired all week. It was kind of a drag, because he had things to do. He was trying to settle into his life with Derek and the Hales, but it was tricky when he got tired doing things he used to do all the time. 

Last night he’d managed to help with dinner instead of taking a nap, but other than that he didn’t really feel like he was contributing to the household. No one seemed to expect more of him, especially on the days he worked with Peter to distribute information to and on the former Argent omegas, but he still wanted to be more helpful to the pack.

“Why don’t you two get something to eat while I finish this up?” Peter offered.

Stiles started to protest but Scott hopped up and pulled him from the room. Stiles let himself be led through the police station toward the breakroom. He jerked Scott to a halt when he saw Allison sitting handcuffed to a deputy's desk. 

It had been only two and a half weeks since she’d escorted him to the market, but she looked so different it might as well have been years. She was deathly pale, and slumped dejectedly in her seat. He couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Her lovely curls had been pushed back into a tangled, messy bun, and her stylish clothes were replaced with the dull grey uniform they gave temporary inmates. 

“Allison,” Stiles said. 

Her head shot up and she looked at him with a cautious, trembling smile. “Stiles.” She floundered for a moment. “You’re looking...well.” She said it hesitantly, like she wasn’t sure she was allowed. 

Stiles smiled in return. “I’m feeling much better, now that I’m home.” After a moment, he added, “Derek’s been very good to me.”

Allison looked a little surprised. “You’re staying with him?”

Stiles nodded. “He’s a good alpha.”

“I always thought so,” she said, quietly.

Stiles cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, my dad said you’ve been really helpful with, um. You know.”

Allison shrugged. “I’m just trying to make up for...everything.”

Stiles nodded. “He also said that they might give you some leeway because of your cooperation.”

“Oh, yeah,” Allison said. “They offered me a plea bargain. Instead of going to jail, I’m going straight to a halfway house. They’re also sending me to do intensive dynamic sensitivity training and then doing community service at an abused omegas center.”

“That’s good,” Stiles said.

“You think so?” Allison said, suspiciously.

Stiles sighed. “Allison, I don’t think you’re a bad person. The training will go a long way to giving you the right information on dynamics, instead of what you’ve been told. Helping at the shelter means you’ll see exactly why not all omegas are better off mated to any alpha.”

“That’s what the DA thought.”

“Good,” Stiles said. “You’re smart. You’ll figure your shit out.” 

Allison started to tear up. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

Stiles sat down in one of the nearby desk chairs. “I guess I know how scary it can be when everything you know is suddenly gone.” Allison winced. “Besides, what your family did was wrong, but you were the one to get me out of there. I’m grateful for that, even if I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.” He passed her a tissue from the desk to wipe her eyes. 

She took a deep shuddering breath as she got herself under control, then her gaze flicked nervously to behind Stiles. He turned to see Scott staring at her with hks jaw hanging open. 

“This is my friend Scott,” Stiles said to her. “Scott, you remember I told you about Allison?”

“You didn’t tell me she was so beautiful,” Scott said, then he closed his mouth with a click of teeth, turning bright red. 

Stiles laughed at him, and Allison blushed back, with a shy smile. He let Scott try and stammer through a conversation with her until the deputy came to lead her somewhere else. “I’m going to talk to my dad and your public defender, see if we can keep in touch.”

“Really?” Allison said.

“Yeah,” Stiles said lightly, then with more honesty, “I want to see the person you become.” He squeezed her hand before she was led away. He turned to Scott and laughed at him for staring after her like a pining puppy.

*** 

Derek pulled Stiles down to sit next to him on one of the couches in the living room. Stiles didn’t hesitate to curl into his side, and Derek sighed in contentment. Then Cora stuck her wet finger in his ear.

“Ugh, go away you brat,” Derek growled. 

“Nah,” she said, flopping onto the couch next to Stiles. Malia took the seat next to her and Laura pushed them all over so she could fit on the end, with her mate, Henry, perched on the armrest, since the couch was too cramped for him to sit next to her. 

Talia had called all the adults in the pack for a meeting. Derek’s Aunt Maura was keeping the children occupied outside, but everyone else was vying for space in the living room. When everyone was settled, Talia said, “As you're all aware, we’ve been working with local law enforcement to assist in the care and placement of the omegas that were taken by the Argents. We’ve gained a lot of community support, but there are still omegas in need of support. We wanted to discuss one of the omegas that the Argents had captured before they were arrested.”

“Weren’t they sent back to their families?” Logan asked.

“For the most part, yes,” Eric said. “This one…”

“He was in the hospital from the injuries that he’d suffered before Kate was arrested,” Talia said. “After an x-ray, one of the doctors noticed patterns of past injuries that were much older than what he could have sustained at the Argents’ hands.” 

“After further investigation, Sheriff Stilinski determined the omega’s father had been abusing him for quite some time,” Eric said, solemnly.

Everyone took a moment to absorb the information. Derek thought it was incredibly unfair for so many horrible things to happen to just one person in their lifetime. 

“As I said, many members of the affected communities have been coming forward to offer their support, but this situation will require more resources and sensitivity than many of them are able to give,” Talia explained. “I’ve meet this omega, and I think he would be a compatible addition to our pack, at least temporarily.”

“Who is he?” Stiles asked.

“You might know him actually, Stiles, he was a classmate of yours,” Eric said. “Isaac Lahey.”

Stiles frowned and hummed. “Maybe.” 

“We wanted to discuss this with the pack at large before making the final decision,” Talia said. “Does anyone have any concerns they wish to bring to our attention before we go through with it?”

There was nothing that anyone was concerned about beyond where he would stay and what accommodations would be made. They had a brief discussion on what potential triggers they should avoid in addition to the ones they’d already been adapting to with Stiles. Derek hoped that having someone who shared their experience would help both of them. 

***

Derek waited with Cora in the kitchen, teasing her while they shared a bowl of salsa and chips. Stiles had gone with Talia to retrieve Isaac, hoping that between he and Eric, they could make Isaac comfortable with entering a house that had a strong majority of alphas.

Stiles had asked him about that the other day, and they’d discussed at length how strong the apha gene was for children born into the Hale family.

The front door opened, and he had to resist the urge to rush out and greet them. He waited for Stiles to call out a hello, then walked carefully into the foyer. He hugged Stiles then turned his attention to Isaac.

Derek hadn’t expected Isaac to be so tall, but his height was by no means intimidating. He hunched his shoulders and held himself so apologetically that his presence was dwarfed by everyone else in the room. His angelically curled blonde hair didn’t suit the distrust in his eyes. 

Stiles introduced them cheerfully, rambling briefly before Talia sent him upstairs to show Isaac his room. They disappeared up the stairs. Eric and Derek elected to return to the kitchen rather than follow. Cora was standing in the doorway looking dumbstruck.

“What’s wrong, Cor?” Derek asked.

Cora blinked at him. “Can’t you smell that?”

Derek shook his head, sniffing lightly. He could smell Isaac, but the scent was barely there compared to the heady aroma of Stiles.

“That omega had the most amazing smell I’ve ever encountered,” Cora said fervently.

Talia offered them a pained smile. “Cora, please keep in mind that Isaac is in a fragile position right now. He doesn’t need to be fending off advances while he’s trying to deal with his past.”

Cora deflated. “I can talk to him though, can’t I?”

“Yes, but, carefully,” Talia said, patting her shoulder. Cora nodded resolutely. Talia elected to let it go but Derek could tell Cora was formulating a plan of action. He thought it was highly unlikely that Isaac’s presence in their pack would be temporary. 

***

Stiles bounced his leg nervously in the passenger seat of the Camaro. He felt like it was going to shake right out of its socket. 

“We’ll be there soon,” Derek said, then he sighed when Stiles leg started moving twice as fast, and reached over to still it. “Stiles, this is supposed to be for fun.”

“I know,” Stiles said. “That doesn’t mean I’m not nervous. They’ve been friends with you for ages.” Stiles had yet to meet any of Derek’s friends. Derek considered Boyd and Erica the people closest to him outside his family, and Stiles wanted to make a good impression.

“You’ll like them,” Derek said confidently.

Stiles really did hope he would. The thing was, Derek didn’t realize that not everyone liked Stiles. In fact, most people didn’t like his spewing of random facts, snarky attitude and constant mobility. It still amazed Stiles that Derek didn’t find any of those things annoying.

They parked outside Erica and Boyd’s apartment building. Derek put a guiding hand on the small of Stiles’ back as they made their way inside. When Derek knocked, Erica opened the door and welcomed them inside.

Stiles registered their beta scent and immediately tensed. Derek stopped and looked at him quizzically and Stiles had to step back into the hall for a moment. Derek stood holding his hand while Stiles reminded himself that betas weren’t a threat. Scott was a beta, and they were best friends. Mrs. Bukowski from across the street was a beta, and she used to give him cookies. He continued down the list of harmless betas he knew until he had himself under control. 

“Okay?” Derek asked. 

Stiles smiled apologetically and nodded. Derek let Stiles go back into the apartment first and left the door open behind them so Stiles wouldn’t feel trapped. Erica and Boyd didn’t comment on the strange behaviour as Derek introduced them.

Erica had made a huge spread of food, including some truly excellent nachos. When Stiles complimented her on them, she cackled and said, “Might as well give you good food while I take all your money.”

From there, the trash talk began and Stiles let go of his unease in favour of beating the pants off the other three at poker.

***

Derek stood to the side of the large meeting hall, trying not to draw attention to himself. The room was packed and he could see a few of his family members scattered around, but they were far overwhelmed by the number of strangers. Derek watched Stiles move through the room, thanking the omegas for attending the meeting and answering their questions. 

Most questions had already been covered during the meeting, but the group trusted Stiles to make their voices heard, even when they couldn’t bring forward suggestions themselves. The meeting had been very helpful to check in with as many of the omegas affected by the Argents as possible, but there were so many endless details to handle.

“Derek?” Someone said, approaching him slowly.

Derek pulled his attention away from Stiles and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He hadn’t seen Paige for over six years. He couldn’t help comparing her to his memory, and found that she looked like a shadow of the vivid young girl he had known. Her eyes lacked the life and sparkle he remembered.

“Paige, what are you doing here?” Derek asked. 

“I’m here with a group of omegas, actually. We wanted an update on having our mating contracts officially dissolved,” Paige said. Her voice was different, too. Softer, like she was whispering, even though the volume was normal.

It took a minute for her words to sink in. Paige was here, waiting to hear about her divorce proceedings, because she was one of the Argent’s omegas.

He tried to focus on the conversation, but his mind was reeling. She hadn’t gone to them because she hated being with Derek. She’d been taken from him. “You won’t be staying with Ennis, then?”

Paige shook her head. “He was…” She trailed off a bit.

Derek nodded. “I’ve heard most of them were…”

Paige smiled vaguely. “Not like your family, to say the least.”

“Are you managing all right?” Derek asked.

Paige nodded. “The girls and I have been placed in a house with three other omegas and their children. It’s nice. We all help each other get through.”

Derek had forgotten completely about Paige’s two young children. He tried not to cringe at the damaged upbringing they’d had so far. “Well, that’s good. Having people to support you is best.”

Paige looked over Derek’s shoulder. “Oh, hello, Stiles.”

“Hi there,” Stiles said, cheerfully, and Derek introduced them.

“I wanted to thank you,” Paige said. “Without your bravery, we’d all still be with the alphas we didn’t choose.”

Stiles waved her off. “I’m just the first one to be listened to. You were brave enough to leave.”

Paige smiled hesitantly, then turned back to Derek, “It was nice talking to you. Maybe I’ll see you soon.”

“Sure,” Derek said. She said goodbye and merged into the crowd. Derek watched her weave through the mass of people.

“Do you know her?” Stiles asked.

“We went to highschool together,” Derek said numbly. “We were together in our senior year. I thought we were going to be mated, then before graduation, she--” He stopped himself and realized he was about to tell the story as he had told it for the past six years. Wrong. “I thought she’d gone to the Argents because she didn’t want me. She was mated to another alpha and I barely saw her again.” 

He looked over and Stiles looked pale and stricken. “You loved her.”

“Yes,” Derek said. “But it was a long time ago.”

Stiles shook his head. “But you were supposed to be with her.”

“It didn’t work out that way,” Derek said. He reached for Stiles’ arm, but he shrank away.

“But it could. She isn’t with her alpha anymore. She isn’t under their control, so you could have her back.” Stiles refused to meet Derek’s gaze.

“No, I can’t,” Derek said.

“You can.” Stiles’ breath seemed shallow and Derek started to panic. “You can leave me, any judge would say you could. You can leave and have her like you were supposed to.”

“Stiles--” Derek tried to stop him, but Stiles ducked past and raced from the room. Derek took off after him and caught up with him as Stiles stopped outside his jeep. “Stiles, please, just stop for a second.”

Stiles laid his forehead against the window and curled into himself. Having him shy away from his hand cut Derek to the quick.

“Stiles, it's not that I can’t, it’s that I wouldn’t,” Derek said. “I don’t want to be with her.”

“But you did,” Stiles whimpered. “You were supposed to be with her and they took her away.”

“Yes, and it hurt,” Derek said. “I’m angry that it happened, but the only thing it changes now is that I know it wasn’t her choice.” 

“It’s not fair to you,” Stiles started.

“Baby, please,” Derek begged. “What I felt for her back then is miniscule, childish, and pale compared to how I love you.”

Stiles finally looked at him, and Derek’s heart broke all over again to see the tears waiting to be shed.

“Stiles, I love you. I want you, always. Please, don’t turn me away.”

Derek’s heart finally unclenched when Stiles came into his arms. He held his omega and they both cried, mourning the love that had to die so theirs could be.


	13. Epilogue

Stiles tooled around the Beacon Hills Grocery Store, yawning. He’d thought after nearly two months, he wouldn’t be so freakin’ tired still. Scott walked beside him, not so much because Stiles needed the help, but because the store’s parking lot still made him nervous. Stiles found this inconvenient and annoying, so with the support of his therapist he was making a point of facing it frequently. 

He turned down the pharmacy aisle to grab some multivitamins for his dad and found himself facing Lydia Martin. 

Lydia was the kind of alpha Stiles had always thought he wanted. Smart as a whip, as beautiful as a goddess, and forward thinking regarding omega rights. Forward thinking enough, in fact, that she had been in a relationship with another alpha since sophomore year. 

Stiles smiled when he realized he felt no need to impress her. He had an alpha and Derek was more than enough for him.

“Stiles,” she greeted.

“Hey, Lydia.” While, at first, Lydia had wanted nothing to do with him, in the later years of highschool, they’d grown into a mutual respect for each other's intelligence and willingness to buck the social system. He considered her a friend, even if they didn’t hang out the way he did with Scott. 

She lightly brushed his hand, showing affection without disrespecting Derek by overwhelming his scent. “Congratulations.”

Stiles blinked in surprise. Derek was so firmly entrenched in his life it surprised him to have people still offering well wishes on his mating. Also awkward, because they tended to simultaneously express condolences on his kidnapping. “Thanks. Derek is great, you should come meet him sometime.”

Lydia smirked. “Yes, I should, but I meant on the other thing.”

Stiles looked at Scott, and he shrugged. “What thing?” Stiles asked.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “The baby?”

“Say again?” Stiles said. 

Lydia raised her delicate eyebrow. “Baby, Stiles. Congratulations on your pregnancy.”

Stiles gripped the handle of the cart tightly and gaped at her. “I’m not--I don’t think--Lydia, I am not pregnant.”

Lydia pursed her lips. “It’s fine if you want to keep things under wraps until you're a little further along, but the change in your scent is a dead giveaway.”

Stiles looked between Lydia and Scott. Scott leaned forward and sniffed him, then shrugged.

Lydia tisked. “Scott, you’re a beta, you won’t be able to smell any change.” She dismissed him in favour of pinning Stiles under her gaze. “Can’t your alpha smell the difference?”

Stiles swallowed. “No,” he said, slowly. “I was so close to my heat when we met, I don’t think he would’ve known the difference.”

Lydia nodded. “That would do it.”

“No, no, no,” Stiles said. “My dad is an alpha. He would have noticed the change”

Lydia flipped her hair, clearly affronted that he was questioning her sense of smell. “It’s under the smell of your new alpha. That probably threw your father off because he was trying to avoid smelling the sex that’s all over you.” 

Stiles flushed in embarrassment. “I don’t think--”

Lydia spun on her heel and walked further into the pharmacy section, beckoning them after her. She selected a test off the shelf and handed it to him. “If you don’t believe me, suit yourself, but I would suggest taking this. The sooner you come to grips with your pregnancy, the better off your baby will be.”

Stiles stared down at the test and started analyzing the last two months. He knew the early signs of pregnancy, just like all omegas had been taught. The tiredness and fatigue he’d felt suddenly seemed very suspicious indeed. Every stomach and back twinge was under scrutiny, every food he’d eaten or rejected was cause for alarm.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

Lydia sighed and patted his hand. “Call me soon. I’ll help plan your baby shower.” With that she glided away, and left Stiles to face the bomb she had just dropped in his lap.

Scott laid a hand on his shoulder. “So, home?”

“Holy shit, gotta go home,” Stiles said, abandoning the remainder of his shopping list and heading for the checkout with his half-full cart, the test looking out of place amongst the produce and bread. 

They’d planned to go over to Stiles’ dad’s house, but he found the idea of doing this in the washroom he shared with Derek more comforting. Scott agreed to drive him to the Hale house without hesitation, claiming he could always call for a ride later.

Stiles barely remembered the trip, too busy obsessing over potential symptoms he may have had.

“I’ll be right here,” Scott said, settling into the desk chair in Stiles’ room. Stiles hugged him gratefully and went into the bathroom with the test. He dealt with it quickly, then sat on the edge of the tub while he waited for the result.

“Shit,” Stiles whispered. How had he not thought of this? He knew he hadn’t had birth control, but somewhere between his heat and now, he’d forgotten that he should be worried about this. He and Derek had talked about children a bit, but more in an abstract sense, a comment thrown here or there for the far-flung future.

There had been so many other things to sort out and consider, so much to take care of. Stiles shuddered. Babies took so much time and work and _love._ He felt polarized with fear and longing. Fear that he’d never be able to manage this, that he would mess everything up and be a horrible parent. Fear that Derek wouldn’t want a baby so soon. But also longing, because he’d seen Derek with his little brother and cousins, and Stiles knew he’d be an amazing father. The idea of carrying Derek’s baby, of holding a part of them in his arms was intoxicating. Yet, still terrifying.

“I can’t do this,” Stiles muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. The uncertainty was unbearable but he couldn’t bring himself to look at the stupid stick, still unsure which answer would be a dream come true and which would start a nightmare.

A soft tap came from the door. “Stiles? Everything okay?” Instead of Scott, it was Derek’s voice that drifted through the wood. Stiles hadn’t realized it was late enough for him to be home from the garage.

“Um. I don’t know.” He could practically feel Derek’s confusion and concern radiating through the door.

“Can I come in?”

“Okay,” Stiles said, shakily. He counted to three as the door open, and looked down at the pregnancy test. “Oh.”

“Stiles?” Derek said. “What’s going on?”

“Baby,” Stiles breathed.

“Yes?” Derek said, kneeling next to him.

“No,” Stiles said, showing him the little plus sign on the plastic stick. “Baby.”

All of Stiles worries and misgivings flew out the window as he watched Derek’s smile light up the room. He looked into Derek’s eyes, and felt completely at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Home again, home again, jiggity jig.  
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
